Latest news with #youthVaping
BBC News
17 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Disposable vapes ban welcomed by West country shop owners
A vape shop owner says the long-term impact of the new disposable vape ban will be seen in years to ban on the sale of single-use disposable vapes was introduced on Sunday, aimed at protecting children's health and the King, from Vapers Online in Street, Somerset, said he welcomes the ban and told the BBC he believes it has already started to make an impact."You're not seeing as many batteries on the street," he said. "In a year or so you're definitely going to see a big impact." The new ban means that shops and supermarkets will no longer be able to sell disposable vapes but they can sell rechargeable or refillable it is illegal to sell vapes to anyone under 18, disposable vapes, often sold in smaller, more colourful packaging have been cited as an important factor in the rise of youth one in seven 18 to 24-year-olds vape but have never King, who has worked in the vaping industry for around 20 years, said young people may be more likely to take up smoking due to the "smoother" experience vaping provides, compared to he said he does not believe the colourful packaging is what has caused many young people to take up vaping. "There's plenty of flashy packaging all over the place," he said."We see it in our supermarkets with alcohol, with everything." Tara, who works in a Bristol vape shop, said: "When they first came out on the market, I felt like they were aimed at young children."All too often, I've seen young children with them, and trying to come into the shop to buy them as well."I actually had a parent come in here and ask for a box of disposable vapes for his child to take to school and sell. I've got kids of my own [and I thought] that's just disgusting." Ministers predict the ban will have a significant impact but health experts say further regulation is needed to tackle youth Jasmine Khouja, from the University of Bristol's tobacco and alcohol research group, has been looking at the impact the ban will said that there are concerns that some young people will buy illicit vapes instead, which are more likely to contain dangerous metals and Khouja said their research also shows that some people are likely to take up smoking again."They feel that smoking is more disgusting, [therefore] it's harder to get to enjoy than vapes."Because of that reason, they feel it will be easier to quit smoking than vaping and we know from history, that is really not true."However, she said the ban will be a "big win" for the environment."Around eight million vapes were thrown away last year. That led to about the same amount of lithium that you could power 10,000 cars." Siobhan Farmer, Gloucestershire's director of public health, said vaping has been an important tool for people trying to quit she said it is only useful for adults quitting smoking, as vapes do not have the harmful chemicals associated with burning tobacco."If you're not a smoker, or you're a child and you take up vaping, we can't guarantee that those products are going to be safe."We haven't had vapes on the market long enough to understand what the long-term impacts to our lungs and particularly developing brains," she explained.
BBC News
5 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Disposable vape ban: Help young vapers and don't judge, Liverpool medic says
Parents should help young people quit vaping by offering "support - not judgement", a hospital consultant has said as a ban on the sale and supply of disposable vapes comes into force on government hopes the ban will curb littering and cut down youth vaping, which has increased despite it being illegal to sell the products to under-18s. Professor Rachel Isba, from Alder Hey Children's Hospital vaping cessation clinic in Liverpool, told BBC Radio 4 that vaping had "sort of snuck up on children and was now so widespread that it's sort of normalised".She advised parents to "guide" their children to a choice rather than just saying they were not allowed, but admitted "it's tricky". Seventeen-year-old Bella is among those receiving support at Alder Hey after vaping for three years."I wake up and then reach for my vape and then feel like I'm ready," she mother Lindsey recalled Bella asking for a box of vapes as a Christmas gift, and said: "I just shook my head and walked away from her."Bella told the BBC she had also seen "really young people vaping in the toilets" at school."I think it's good that they're banning disposable vapes because it's harder to get a reusable one so now more kids can't start." But Bella said she also felt there was a lack of support for young vapers, which Prof Isba agreed with."There are probably tens of thousands of children and young people who want to stop vaping and we don't have the services to support them," she said. "One of the great joys of this clinic [at Alder Hey] is that we can craft it around individual children and young people."She urged parents and carers to approach the issue of their child vaping "from a place of support, not judgement, which is really hard as a parent myself".She said: "It's tricky because you want your child to be as healthy as they can. "But actually my experience has been that supporting them and guiding them to a decision or a choice - rather than just saying 'you are not allowed to vape, you are not allowed to smoke, don't do it' - is a really great place to start."Marcus Sexton, of Blackburn vape shop chain Totally Wicked, said he thought the ban on disposable vapes was more "about environmental grounds". 'Not risk-free' "I was in Manchester recently watching people return them [for recycling]. It's great - but not enough people do," Mr Sexton called on the government to "make sure they don't throw the baby out with the bathwater by making it so hard and difficult for stores and consumers who are smokers to access these products".But he agreed that should be balanced with restricting access for those who were Minister Mary Creagh, who is an ex-smoker and pushed for the ban, admitted vapes could help people quit smoking but said she did not want a new generation to start vaping. She said about eight million disposable vapes were thrown away per week, and they cause 1,200 fires have been widespread concerns about the use of some brands which have "skyrocketed, particularly among younger people", according to the data suggested about 980,000 youngsters aged 11-17 have tried vaping, which is about 18% of that age demographic. However those who vape regularly were estimated to be about 3.7% of the 11-18 age group. The NHS said "developing lungs and brains mean they are more sensitive" to the impact of nicotine vaping, which is "less harmful than smoking but is not risk-free". Read more stories from Cheshire, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC North West on X.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Vapers warned not to stockpile ‘fire risk' disposables before UK ban
Vapers have been warned not to stockpile soon-to-be-banned disposables before Sunday's outright ban as they 'pose a significant fire risk'. The Local Government Association (LGA) said users were stocking up on single-use e-cigarettes while they could, as shops would face fines for selling them after the ban takes effect. And although the temptation from consumers may be to hoard their favourite flavours, the LGA said the lithium batteries inside could become a hazard if not stored correctly. David Fothergill, the chair of the LGA's community wellbeing board, said: 'We want to remind businesses to ensure all remaining stocks of disposable vapes are sold, and only buying vapes that follow the new regulations. 'If businesses have any single-use vapes in their possession after Sunday, they will not be able to sell them to shoppers and must ensure they are stored and disposed of safely. '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.' According to research by Haypp, an online nicotine retailer, 82% of disposable vape users are planning to stockpile. The ban is designed to reduce youth vaping and tackle the environmental damage caused by millions of the devices being thrown away each week. Retailers have been told to clear remaining stock and ensure leftover products are disposed of safely. Material Focus, a non-profit focused on improving electrical recycling in the UK, said 5 million disposable vapes were incorrectly discarded each week in the UK in 2024 – nearly four times higher than the previous year. Many contain lithium-ion batteries, posing fire risks and leaching toxic chemicals into the environment when binned incorrectly. Scott Butler, the executive director of Material Focus, said: 'Thirteen vapes every second are being incorrectly gotten rid of, and that's a huge environmental pollution problem. The liquid in many vape batteries is toxic and could run into waterways, as well as harm animals. It's also a significant fire risk because lithium batteries are known to cause fires when crushed with general waste.' 'Vapes are a huge environmental pollution problem, so we hope the ban goes some way to reducing waste,' he added. Disposables are also the most common device used by children who vape, with more than 20% of UK children having tried vaping, according to Action on Smoking and Health (ASH). The devices are often sold in sweet flavours and brightly coloured packaging, which campaigners say appeal to underage users. Under the new rules, only vapes that are rechargeable, refillable and fitted with a replaceable coils (the heating element) will be allowed. Experts worry the industry may have already found ways to sidestep the UK government's ban, while cheaper vape imports rerouted from the US risk pushing down prices further. There are also concerns that new US tariffs on Chinese imports may increase cheap vape shipments to the UK, making enforcement of the ban more difficult. Hazel Cheeseman, the deputy chief executive of ASH, said: 'There's already a sizeable illegal market. Whether the disposable vapes ban makes that risk greater, I guess that depends on how quickly the legitimate retailers are making products available to people that suit their needs. 'People don't necessarily want to go looking for illegal products if they can buy legitimate products in their local corner shop or supermarket that meet their needs, why would they go off looking for dodgy ones?' There are also concerns about policing the vapes at borders and ports, said Kate Pike, the lead officer for vaping at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, who stressed that stronger import controls would be essential. 'We have extra funding to do more at ports and borders … From our point of view, it's important, because obviously it makes a big difference if we can stop [illegal vapes entering the country],' she said.
BBC News
6 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Disposable vapes ban unlikely to reduce appeal, says campaigner
The ban on single-use vapes is unlikely to reduce the appeal of e-cigarettes to teenagers because re-usable models are so similar to disposables, the head of a campaign group has vapes will be banned in the UK from Sunday in an effort to curb youth vaping rates and reduce electronic Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health (Ash), said new reusable vapes are "very similar" to single-use vapes, meaning it is "unlikely [the ban] will have that much impact on the appeal of products". Circular Economy Minister Mary Creagh said the government was "taking action and banning single use vapes to reduce waste and environmental damage". The government has previously said the ban would "reduce the appeal of vapes to children".A quarter of 11 to 15-year-olds have tried vaping and nearly 1 in 10 vape often, according to NHS research from Cheeseman welcomed the legislation as a step towards tougher regulations on vaping products, but said stronger action will be needed to make vaping less appealing to young people who have never smoked. "Teenagers weren't drawn to these products because you could throw them away," she told BBC Breakfast. "They were drawn to them because they were brightly coloured, because they were cheap, and they were really, really available. All of those things will still be true on Sunday."Some reusable vapes have "identical" packaging to their single-use counterparts, are sold at the same price, and give customers little information about how to refill them, she said."The manufacturers are not making it easy for people to change their behaviour."The government's Tobacco and Vapes Bill, a separate piece of legislation, will give ministers the power to take action that "probably will reduce the appeal of these products to teenagers", she said. These actions include regulating the packaging and design of vape products, as well as restricting is substantially less harmful than smoking cigarettes, but it has not been around for long enough for its long-term risks to be known, according to the of this, it is only recommended as a method to help adult smokers quit. 'Big environmental burden' Despite her concerns about its effect on teen uptake, Ms Cheeseman said the disposables ban was "important regulation" that will help ease the "big environmental burden" of five million single-use vapes were thrown away each week in 2023, according to the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra).As well as lithium-ion batteries, vapes contain circuit boards, which can leak toxic compounds if not disposed of properly.A switch to reusable vapes, which can be recharged and refilled with e-liquid, would in theory allow users to keep e-cigarettes for longer without creating some have raised concerns over whether the ban will have this Pike, lead officer for tobacco and vaping at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, said reusable vapes costing the same as disposables "is a worry"."It's a real worry that people will continue to use them as single-use disposable and therefore it won't help limit the damage to the environment," she told BBC Radio 4's Today added that there is a "cost benefit" to reusing and recharging a vape, instead of buying a new one, so she hopes fewer vapes will be thrown away. "But it is a potential danger," she Dunne, director general of the UK Vaping Industry Association, said the ban was "ill-thought out".Changing regulations to allow vapes to have larger tank sizes would have been "more sensible", he told the Today programme, as this would have increased prices from "around the £5 range" to up to £10 or £ ban on disposable vapes was first announced under the previous Conservative confirmed it would keep the legislation in October last year, with Defra minister Creagh saying disposable vapes were "extremely wasteful and blight our towns and cities".The government has also previously said banning disposables would "reduce the appeal of vapes to children and keep them out of the hands of vulnerable young people".
CBC
23-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
Advocates push for efforts to minimize youth vaping rates
Health advocates say the province must do more to help reduce youth vaping rates and prevent young people from trying the products. The CBC's Michael Gorman reports.
