Children ‘to be banned from buying cheap disposable vapes from abroad’ under Rishi Sunak’s war on children’s e-cigarette epidemic

Cheap vapes bought abroad could be banned under Rishi Sunak’s tougher e-cigarette measures.

In efforts to stamp out Britain’s child vaping epidemic, the Prime Minister has pledged to ban disposable e-cigarettes completely.

Such devices – sold for as little as £3 and compared to highlighters for their trendy colors – are likely to be banned by early 2025.

Ministers are also reportedly considering introducing an import ban on single-use vapes, following a similar plan in Australia.

Shock data earlier this year showed that a record 11.6 percent of 11 to 17-year-olds in Britain have now tried vaping. This is an increase from 7.7 percent last year and twice as high as a decade ago, before the UK’s child vaping epidemic broke out

Vapes, which currently retail for just £3, have been likened to highlighters due to their trendy displays in stores across the UK. Brands such as Elf Bar and Lost Mary are extremely popular among teenagers. The number of children using vaping has tripled in the past three years. Figures show that nine percent of children between 11 and 15 years old now vape, while the long-term health consequences are still unknown

It would deter young people from stocking up on disposable e-cigarettes from foreign websites, following Britain’s upcoming ban, the Mirror reports. According to the newspaper, ministers are still considering whether to impose a tax on vapes.

Under Sunak’s wider crackdown, vapes are also expected to be limited to four flavours.

Nicotine-laden gadgets will also have to be sold in plain tobacco packaging and displayed out of sight of children.

New ‘on the spot’ fines will also be introduced for shops caught illegally selling vapes to children.

The measures, which must still be voted on by MPs before being introduced, were announced yesterday after years of passionate pleas to tackle the crisis.

The number of children using vaping has tripled in the past three years.

Figures show that nine percent of children between 11 and 15 years old now vape, while the long-term health consequences are still unknown.

This is despite the fact that the sale of e-cigarettes to young people under the age of 18 is prohibited.

Experts have welcomed the crackdown, saying they “fully support” the approach and are “extremely happy” with the restrictions on packaging.

But others have also warned that “legislation in this area must be nuanced and cautious,” as vaping can help people who smoke tobacco cigarettes quit.

Health activists have long called for much stricter regulations on marketing to children and a tax on disposable vapes.

Mr Sunak said the ban on single-use vapes – due to come into force in early 2025 – was balanced and the ‘right’ action.

Both Germany and Ireland have outlined their own proposals to impose restrictions on vaping, with the German government currently considering a complete ban on disposable e-cigarettes.

In addition, Australia has taken steps to make vapes only available to people with a prescription.

MailOnline has been told that e-cigarette use has become so widespread in schools that there has been an increase in the number of fire engines because so many students are vaping in toilets. Teens told this website they suffer from frequent coughing fits and need to use inhalers to breathe properly, after just a year of regular e-cigarette use

Meanwhile, New Zealand has also introduced restrictions banning vape shops from being within 300 meters of a school and requiring all vapes to have removable batteries.

In efforts to curb Britain’s teen vaping crisis, some secondary schools have already installed equipment to detect whether children are vaping.

Data released last March showed that some sensors are activated up to 22 times a day.

E-cigarettes allow people to inhale nicotine in a vapor, which is produced by heating a liquid, which typically contains propylene glycol, glycerin, flavorings and other chemicals.

Unlike traditional cigarettes, they do not contain tobacco or produce tar or carbon – two of the most dangerous elements.

Although widely seen as safer than smoking, the long-term effects of vaping still remain a mystery.

Doctors have expressed fears that a wave of lung disease, dental problems and even cancer could occur in the coming decades in people who started the habit at a young age.

Last year, leading pediatricians also warned that children were being admitted to hospital with vaping-induced breathing difficulties amid a ‘worrying’ vaping epidemic among young people.

NHS figures show a rise in the number of children admitted to hospital due to vaping.

Forty children and young people were admitted to hospital in England last year for ‘vaping-related conditions’, which may include lung damage or worsening asthma symptoms, up from 11 two years earlier, the NHS said.

The vaping ban is part of a wider range of proposals, which also include a ban on the sale of tobacco products to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009, meaning children will never be able to legally buy cigarettes in Britain.

The full bill appears likely to pass parliament into law with minimal fuss, despite criticism from a handful of Tories, liberal think tanks and vaping groups.

Vocal naysayers include former Prime Minister Liz Truss, who said the government should ‘not try to expand the nanny state’.

She added: ‘While the state has a duty to protect children from harm, in a free society adults should be able to make their own choices about their own lives.

“Banning the sale of tobacco products to anyone born in 2009 or later will create an absurd situation where adults enjoy different rights based on their date of birth.”

Everything you need to know about e-cigarettes

How much nicotine is in an e-cigarette?

There are many different brands of e-cigarettes, with different nicotine levels.

The legal amount of nicotine in an e-liquid capacity in the UK is 20 mg/ml, which is equivalent to between 600 and 800 puffs.

The Elf Bar 600, one of the most popular vapes in the UK, is advertised as being available in nicotine strengths of 0mg, 10mg and 20mg.

How many cigarettes are in an e-cigarette?

The Elf Bar 600 contains the equivalent of 48 cigarettes, analysts say.

It delivers 600 puffs before needing to be thrown away, meaning that in theory every 12.5 puffs equals one cigarette.

Experts say that for many e-cigarettes, 100 puffs are equivalent to ten regular cigarettes.

Elf Bars is a brand of e-cigarettes often sold in trendy colors and with kid-friendly names and flavors, such as blue razz lemonade and green gummy bear

Is vaping better for your health than cigarettes?

According to the NHS, vaping products are considered better than cigarettes because users are exposed to fewer toxins and lower levels.

The health department adds that vaping instead of smoking cigarettes reduces your exposure to toxins that can cause cancer, lung disease and diseases of the heart and circulatory system, such as strokes and heart attacks.

Public Health England, which no longer exists, published an independent expert review in 2015 which concluded that e-cigarettes are around 95 percent less harmful than cigarettes.

However, vaping is not without risk because even though the levels in tobacco products are much higher, e-cigarettes still contain harmful toxins, according to a study by researchers at the Medical University of Silesia in Poland.

And Dr. Onkar Mudhar, a London dentist who posts videos on TikTok, said Elven bars can cause gingivitis, swelling and bleeding.

He said this is because nicotine dries out your mouth and reduces saliva, causing irritation from a buildup of bacteria and food that can’t be washed away.

Nearly 350 hospital admissions were recorded in England in 2022 due to vaping, which are believed to be mainly due to respiratory problems such as shortness of breath, chest pain, pneumonia and, in severe cases, respiratory failure.