Major change to UK vaping laws set to be announced next week
Vapers, hold on to your hats.
New laws are set to be announced as soon as next week regarding the sale of e-cigarettes in a bid to crackdown on the addictive devices, which have become worryingly popular with the younger generation.
Although the alternative smoking device has been praised as a means of getting people to stop using cigarettes, hospital admissions for children as a result of vaping quadrupled in a year.
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Despite plenty of studies showing that using vaping is technically better than smoking cigarettes, they still contain a number of chemicals and, of course, nicotine which can massively impact your health in the long run.
That's why UK ministers are really putting their foot down and are reportedly preparing to reveal tough new rules in the hopes of stopping children picking up one of the brightly coloured and fruit flavoured e-cigs.
It has been claimed that a complete ban on the sale of disposable vapes will be brought in, meaning Elf Bars and Lost Mary's may soon be a thing of the past.
The new regulations will also involve limiting the selection of flavours, increasing the amount of tax paid on them and tightening restrictions around advertising, The Telegraph reports.
This comes after health officials warned that youngsters are being lured in by 'pocket money' prices at corner shops where vapes are being sold illegally for as little as £3.
The NHS say that one in ten children aged 11 to 15 are now regularly using vapes.
A study conducted by Cancer Research UK from January 2021 to August 2023 found that the use of disposable e-cigs surged in popularity with adults, with the usage percentage soaring from 0.1 per cent to 4.9 per cent.
People aged 18 to 24 were found to be the highest users, with 14.4 per cent admitting to vaping - including 7.1 per cent who said they had never previously smoked tobacco.
Whatever the regulations brought in are, researchers stressed it would not penalise former smokers who are using vapes.
But big vape firms claim the crackdown would only drive people back to cigarettes.
Marcus Saxton, chair of the Independent British Vape Trade Association, said: "Children and those who have not smoked should not be using vapes but bans on single-use vapes and flavours will make it harder for smokers to quit.
"Research by Cancer Research UK and University College London shows the critical role that single-use vapes are playing in helping the 6.4million smokers in the UK to quit. Bans do not work."
The new rules surrounding vaping are reportedly due to be debated in early February.
A Department of Health spokesperson told The Sun: "The health advice on vaping is clear: vaping can play a role in helping adult smokers to quit, but if you don’t smoke, don’t vape – and children should never vape.
"We have consulted on measures to reduce the appeal and availability of vapes to children. We will set out further details in due course."
Olivia Burke