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Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Disposable vapes are officially BANNED in the UK as government cracks down on cheap nicotine dispensers commonly littered and sold to children
A ban on single-use vapes has today come into force across Britain as the government looks to crack down on waste and the growing number of children hooked on nicotine. Around five million disposable vapes were thrown away each week last year rather than being recycled - sparking major environmental concerns as the batteries can leak waste and cause fires. And a survey commissioned by NHS England last October revealed that around one in ten secondary school pupils were regular users of the devices. The new legislation means vapes must be considered 'reusable' - through being refillable or having a charging port - or they will be classed as illegal. Shops have already begun stocking 'rechargeable' versions of vapes which are retailing for the same price as the disposable offerings. Further moves to raise the age of sale of tobacco products and to regulate the displays, flavours and packaging of reusable vapes are also being taken forward through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. Nature minister Mary Creagh was asked on Friday whether the new legislation would be enough and said: 'Well let's bring in the ban first. That's what I would say.' 'I'm confident that my colleagues in the Department of Health will not hesitate to use those powers should what we're doing this weekend not achieve the goals. 'But I'm confident that it is already sparking a conversation among young people, getting them to ask the questions, getting them to understand that there's no such place as "away" and that these are really difficult to recycle.' She added that most large vapes on the market do not have replaceable coils meaning they will fall within the scope of the ban. The government is also considering further ways to drive up levels of separately collected electrical waste including vapes as part of reforms to waste electrical and electronic equipment regulations. Under current rules, vape producers already have a legal responsibility to finance their collection for recycling. Vapes contain valuable and critical materials such as lithium and copper that are regularly binned in household waste, and if littered, they can cause fires and other damaging or toxic impacts on the environment and wildlife. Major eco organisations last week called on retailers to make more collection points available for the products. Director general of the UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) John Dunne also called on shop owners to do more. Mr Dunne said: 'This needs joined-up action from across the waste chain and more effort needs to be done to provide consumers with disposal points at the point of use and not just point of sale.' He added that while the UKVIA works to educate consumers on sustainable vape use and recycling initiatives 'more needs to be done'. 'We would encourage the Government to launch a national consumer education which includes responsible disposal of vapes, why vaping is much less harmful than smoking, and warning of the dangers of buying non-compliant products from the black market or other irregular sellers.' According to research by online nicotine retailer, Haypp, 82 per cent of disposable vape users stockpiled ahead of the ban. Cllr David Fothergill, Chairman of the LGA's Community Wellbeing Board, urged shops to comply with the new laws, dubbing vapes a 'blight [on] our streets.' He added: 'We would also urge caution to anyone stockpiling disposable vapes. Failing to store disposable vapes correctly could cost lives, given the significant fire risk they pose.'
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Tobacco industry's sly promotion tactics must be countered with force
Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at [email protected] or filling in this Google form . Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification Advertisement Each year on May 31, the world observes World No Tobacco Day, a vital occasion to confront one of the most preventable global health threats. Launched by the World Health Organization in 1988, the initiative mobilised action against the tobacco industry's deadly influence. Appropriately, this year's campaign will focus on the industry's promotion of nicotine products. It puts the spotlight squarely on how tobacco companies continue to lure young consumers and entrench addiction under the guise of modernity and choice. Tobacco remains a global killer, claiming over 8 million lives annually and causing untold suffering through diseases such as cancer, heart disease and chronic respiratory conditions. The toll is not limited to smokers – second-hand smoke endangers millions more. Over the years, countries have embraced the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, banning public smoking, mandating warning labels and restricting advertising. However, weak enforcement and legal loopholes persist. Advertisement
RNZ News
3 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
Māori tobacco control and advocacy spotlight of new documentary
The launch of 'Tupeka Kore: The Whakapapa of Māori Tobacco Control' at Wainuomata Marae in Lower Hutt. Photo: RNZ / Pokere Paewai A new documentary has been launched tracing the history of Māori tobacco control, beginning with Captain Cook's arrival all the way up to the repeal of Aotearoa's world-leading smokefree laws. Tupeka Kore: The Whakapapa of Māori Tobacco Control in Aotearoa NZ was launched at Wainuiomata Marae, Lower Hutt on Friday by Te Roopu Tupeka Kore, the Māori Tobacco Control network as part of World Smokefree Day on Saturday. Advocates said while 2025 marked the target for a smokefree Aotearoa, Māori continued to face higher rates of nicotine addiction than non-Māori. Co-director Catherine Manning (Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, Ngāti Tukorehe) called the documentary "accidental", because it started out as an educational resource for new people working in tobacco control. Documentary co-director Catherine Manning. Photo: RNZ / Pokere Paewai On the recommendation of Manning's co-director Paul Dodge, the team decided to make it into a fully fledged documentary. "When we put together this documentary together the intention was to authentically make sure our truth was there. There are many people along the way that have told our story that aren't us, this is our story told by us," she said. Manning said the tobacco industry had been very influential in the political arena in New Zealand while Māori voices often went unheard. "Everybody else had a say, meaning the general public, successive governments had a say as to what was good for us and why it is that we are so afflicted by this product that is designed to kill. When you have an industry who has millions of dollars, an unlimited amount of resources, then we are powerless, in some parts, to stop the influence they [had] on those past generations and future generations." Manning paid tribute to many of the Māori leaders who led tobacco control efforts who have now passed, particularly Dame Tariana Turia, Dame June Mariu and Dame Ngāneko Minhinnick. Longtime tobacco control campaigner Shane Bradbrook (Ngāi Tamanuhiri, Rongowhakaata, Ngāti Kahungunu) was one of the people interviewed for the doco. He said it was the culmination of 20 years of his work in the sector. Tobacco control campaigner Shane Bradbrook. Photo: RNZ / Pokere Paewai "Tobacco was impacting on our whakapapa, killing our people far too early. And it evolved into that position of recognising that it wasn't just an individual issue and addiction that actually the kamupene (companies) that were running it, the tobacco companies were there and impinging on our whakapapa as well. "Don't blame our people, blame the industry. The tobacco industry is to blame. And the same thing with vaping, blame them, they're the ones hooking our people." Bradbrook said tobacco was imposing on Māori sovereignty and had no place in Māori communities. Te Aute College student Pōtatau Clark (Rongomaiwahine) was one of the rangatahi (young people) involved with the documentary. He said it was overwhelming to see his face up on the big screen for the first time. Rangatahi Pōtatau Clark. Photo: RNZ / Pokere Paewai He never thought he would be involved in anything like this, but decided to speak out after going through his own experiences with vaping in intermediate school. "I felt the guilt ... thinking to myself, 'I just did something that my Nan fights against.' So I thought I'd take a step forwards, let people know why I think it's harmful and why us Māori and rangatahi shouldn't do it." Clark said right now young Māori were facing a "vaping tsunami". "Walking through the school bathrooms and seeing vape clouds, it's just not a good sight to see as a rangatahi who is trying to prevent those things from happening," he said. Green MP Hūhana Lyndon attended Friday's launch as a longtime kaimahi (worker) in tobacco control prior to entering Parliament. "[The documentary] was very heartfelt. It reflected on all of the things that we needed to remember as a country and as being world leaders in smokefree. And Tupeka Kore is our Māori solution." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Vape ban will prevent nicotine-addicted children
The upcoming disposable vape ban will help "prevent a new generation of nicotine-addicted young people", Wales' leading public health body has Health Wales (PHW) said it was important to learn from the experience with tobacco and "work as hard as possible to prevent the use and uptake of vapes by children and young people".Single-use disposable vapes will be banned across the UK from 1 June as part of efforts to protect children's health and prevent environmental UK Vaping Industry Association has been approached for comment, but previously said a ban would increase illegal sales. PHW said disposable vapes were "cheap, easy to use and widely available" and appealed to added that most contained nicotine, which affected concentration, memory and the ability to learn when consumed McKibben, consultant in public health at PHW, said: "While vaping is safer than smoking for adults, it is not risk–free and we do not yet have a comprehensive understanding of the long-term health effects."She called the ban an "important step" towards preventing a generation of young people addicted to in Wales shows that 7% of people aged 11 to 16 use vapes weekly, up from 5.4% in 2021. For 15 and 16-year-olds it is 15.9%, up from 13.6%.Keep Wales Tidy estimates that 360,000 single use vapes are dropped on the floor each year, while 120,000 are flushed down the toilet. People at the Urdd Eisteddfod in Neath Port Talbot were largely supportive of the Sitori, 18, from Swansea, said vaping was a "real issue" that she often sees at school and parties and this would "really help crack down" on Thomas, 19, from Swansea, believes many of his friends who vape would stop due to the ban, but felt some could resort to smoking Swansea, Kyle Evans, from Aberdare, Rhonda Cynon Taf, described the ban as "ridiculous" as it was a helpful way to quit added: "People need to put them away properly, dispose of them properly and there shouldn't be a ban." Crimestoppers said it was stepping up its efforts to combat the illegal sale of vapes in the wake of the ban because "unscrupulous vendors will continue to sell these products illegally"."These products pose serious health risks – they are unregulated, untested, and may contain dangerously high levels of nicotine and harmful substances such as lead and nickel," it to BBC Radio 4's Today programme when the ban was announced, John Dunne, director general of UKVIA, said authorities already struggled to tackle the black market, even without a said the association wanted the UK government to instead introduce a licensing scheme for retailers and distributors.
