01-06-2025
Vape ban explained: All your questions answered as single-use disposable e-cigarettes become illegal today
Disposable vapes will banned across the UK on Sunday in a government crackdown on e-cigarettes.
From June 1, it will be illegal for businesses to sell or supply single-use vapes, such as Elf bars and Lost Mary, in shops and online.
Only devices considered reusable - with a rechargeable battery and replaceable coil - will be allowed.
The law is aimed at protecting the environment and tackling a surge in youth vaping rates, which have soared from 0.8 per cent in 2013 to 7.2 per cent last year.
Disposable vapes, known for their variety of flavours and brightly coloured packaging, have become increasingly popular among teenagers.
Moreover, an estimated 5million single use vapes, which are available to buy at pocket money prices, are thrown away in the UK every week.
How is the law changing?
The new law which comes into effect on Sunday will ban businesses from selling or supplying disposable vapes.
Retailers in England who are caught breaking the law face a minimum £200 penalty or a two-year-prison sentence for repeat offenders.
Any single-use e-cigarettes that are found on sale, will be seized by Trading Standards.
Rechargeable vapes that are refillable and have a battery and replaceable coil will remain on the market.
It will not be illegal to own or be in possession of a single-use vape - with reports that millions of Brits have stockpiled the devices in preparation for the ban.
MailOnline revealed this month that nearly 40 per cent of vapers have enough disposable e-cigarettes to last three months.
All ages showed interest in stockpiling but it was 45-54-year-olds who led the way, with almost 90 per cent saying they were putting together a collection in preparation.
Will vapes be taxed more?
Vapes are not currently subject to an additional tax like tobacco products, although 20 per cent VAT is charged.
However, a new vaping duty is being introduced by the government on October 1 next year.
It will be charged at a flat rate of £2.20 per 10ml vaping liquid.
Vape advertising is also set to be banned as part of the government's Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which is currently making its way through parliament.
How many young people vape in the UK?
Rishi Sunak initially announced the plans to ban disposable vapes in January last year.
The former prime minister was acting on evidence that those taking on the habit across all age groups had ballooned by more than 400 per cent since 2012.
Moreover, recent NHS figures showed a quarter of 11 to 15-year-olds in England have tried vaping, with almost one in 10 using e-cigarettes regularly.
And the highest rates of disposable vape use are among those aged 18 to 24, a survey of 4,393 British adults previously revealed.
Disposable vapes, such as Elf bars and Lost Mary, are known for their brightly coloured packaging and wide variety of sweet flavours.
The British Medical Association previously warned that flavours such as bubblegum and candy floss could lead to nicotine addictions among children.
Why are single-use vapes so bad for the environment?
A key reason for the introduction of the ban on disposable vapes is to protect the environment.
An estimated 5 million single use vapes, which are available to buy at pocket money prices, are thrown away in the UK every week, according to government figures.
Disposable vapes contain lithium-ion batteries and circuit boards which can leak toxic chemicals such as cobalt and copper into the environment.
The devices should never be put in regular bins and should be put in dedicated bins so they can be disposed of correctly.
MailOnline previously reported that only 17 per cent of people correctly recycle their vapes in a shop or local recycling centre.
How are vapes harmful for your health?
The NHS has historically recommended vapes to help people quit smoking, which is one of the biggest causes of illness and death in the UK.
Around 76,000 people die every year from smoking-related health problems, including heart disease, strokes and cancer.
E-cigarettes are far less harmful and can help people quit smoking for good, according to the health service.
However, vaping is not risk free.
E-cigarettes contain harmful toxins and their long-term effects remains a mystery.
Some doctors fear a wave of lung disease and even cancer in the coming decades due to vaping.
Experts are also concerned the high nicotine content might increase blood pressure and cause other heart problems.
Freedom of Information requests revealed that 24 children in England were hospitalised due to vaping since the start of 2022. These could include lung damage or a worsening of asthma symptoms.
Could the ban push vapers back to smoking?
A report previously warned that the disposable vapes ban could push 200,000 people back to smoking when it comes into effect.
Future Health Research Centre said the move risks undermining progress towards a 'smokefree' Britain if vapers are not supported to maintain their 'quit journey'.
Modelling scenarios based on its findings indicate the disposable vapes ban will see between 175,000 and 378,000 people stopping vaping, and between 630,000 and 1.36 million people switching to another vaping product.
But the smoking rate could increase by between 90,000 and 200,000, adding 0.2 per cent to 0.4 per cent to the overall population smoking rate.
Richard Sloggett, the report's author and a former government advisor, said: 'The Government has committed welcome and strong action to reduce smoking and tackle youth vaping.
'However these findings show that urgent work is needed to ensure that efforts to reduce youth vaping do not have the unintended consequence of increasing the numbers smoking – particularly amongst younger people.
'The ban also feels like being a missed opportunity, with hundreds of thousands of people soon to be looking for alternatives to disposable vapes but over half saying they will simply switch to another product.
'With the ban looming, the Government now needs to get on the front foot, commit to a national mass media anti-smoking campaign and set out more clearly how it will use its forthcoming regulatory powers through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill to help ensure that those using disposable vapes do not turn to smoking instead.'
