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.

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.

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.”