A ban on disposable vapes could discourage e-cigarette use among people trying to quit smoking, research shows.
The government is considering a ban due to concerns that children are using the products and becoming addicted. However, a study by academics at University College London and funded by Cancer Research UK found it would also affect 2.6 million adults in Britain, 1.2 million of whom smoke and a further 744,000 who previously did so .
The research, published in the journal Public Health, was based on a survey of 69,973 adults. It showed that between January 2021 and August 2023, the percentage of the population using disposable e-cigarettes grew from 0.1% to 4.9%.
The researchers said that while preventing vaping by children and people who have never smoked was a “public health priority,” the ban could inadvertently discourage e-cigarette use among people trying to quit smoking. The research states: “Vaping is significantly less harmful than smoking, so it is vital that a ban on disposables does not discourage people who smoke from switching to vaping.”
Dr. Sarah Jackson from UCL’s Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, and lead author of the study, said: “Our study suggests that a ban on disposable e-cigarettes would affect an estimated 2.6 million people in England, Wales and Scotland.
“While banning disposables may seem like a simple solution to reducing youth vaping, it could have significant unintended consequences for people who smoke.
“In the event of a ban, it would be important to encourage current and former smokers who use disposables to switch to other types of e-cigarettes, rather than returning to just smoking tobacco.”
Prof. Jamie Brown, the study’s lead author, said: “There is a need for action to reduce disposable vaping among young people who have never smoked. However, the trade-offs need to be carefully considered. A ban could discourage e-cigarette use among people trying to quit smoking, and could cause relapse among those who have already used disposables to quit.
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“Cigarettes are much more harmful to our health and are not currently banned, and a ban on disposable e-cigarettes could signal to large numbers of people that these products are worse for our health or that their harm is comparable to that caused by smoking of tobacco. .”