British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday announced plans to ban disposable vapes to curb their usage among children, alongside plans to introduce measures limiting vape flavors to make them less appealing to children.
Scotland and Wales governments joined hands in banning single-use vapes as part of proposed legislation requiring parliamentary approval. The move reflects growing concerns over increased vaping among children, with teachers noting signs of nicotine dependency in classrooms.
The prime minister aims to enforce a ban on selling tobacco products to individuals born after January 1, 2009, as part of efforts to achieve a smoke-free generation. Besides this, alternatives like nicotine pouches will also face prohibition.
Sunak announced the move ahead of a visit to a school on Monday. He said, “As any parent or teacher knows, one of the most worrying trends at the moment is the rise in vaping among children, and so we must act before it becomes endemic.”
“The long-term impacts of vaping are unknown and the nicotine within them can be highly addictive, so while vaping can be a useful tool to help smokers quit, marketing vapes to children is not acceptable. That is why I am taking bold action to ban disposable vapes – which have driven the rise in youth vaping – and bring forward new powers to restrict vape flavours, introduce plain packaging and change how vapes are displayed in shops,” he added.
In the UK, smoking is responsible for approximately one in four cancer-related fatalities and resulting in 80,000 deaths annually.
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