UK doctors call for ban on ALL flavoured vapes as part of ‘vital approach’ to e-cigarette ‘epidemic’
Britain’s largest doctors’ union today called for a total ban on all flavoured e-cigarettes in a bid to tackle the country’s e-cigarette “epidemic”.
The British Medical Association (BMA) argued that the government must take ‘bold and bold action’ to protect children and the environment from the harm they cause.
Figures show that regular vaping among children and young people has increased almost sixfold over the past decade.
The BMA report ‘Taking our breath away: Why we need stronger regulation of vapes’ attributes the increase in the number of vapes to the ‘widespread availability of disposable vapes’.
As part of a “vital approach”, the government also wants ministers to ban all images, colours and branding on e-cigarettes and their packaging – similar to existing rules for cigarettes.
A shocking MailOnline investigation last year even uncovered vapes that looked like sweets, with high street shops selling the devices alongside chocolate and fruit gummies
Campaigners have long blamed predatory manufacturers for the growing crisis, claiming they deliberately lure children in with colourful packaging, rather than highlighters, and child-friendly flavours such as bubble gum and candy floss.
In addition, the products must be stored out of sight, behind the counter, according to the BMA.
Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak introduced the Tobacco and Vaping Act earlier this year, which included a ban on disposable e-cigarettes and restrictions on flavour and packaging.
However, it was suspended after general elections were announced in May.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has revived the bill following Labour’s victory in the July 4 vote. However, details of the measures included in the proposed legislation have yet to be published.
Dr Penelope Toff, chair of the BMA’s public health medicine committee, called on the current government to ‘go even further’ than the plans outlined by Mr Sunak.
She described the BMA report as a ‘blueprint’ of actions ministers need to take.
There are calls for a ban on the sale of disposable vapes “due to their disproportionate and harmful use by children and young people and their negative impact on the environment”.
Dr Toff warned that e-cigarette use among young people poses a “serious threat to public health”.
‘We are calling on ministers to take bold and courageous action that will make a real difference, such as banning all vape flavours except tobacco, to ease the grip these products have on our children and young people, but still ensure they are an option to help people quit smoking,’ she said.
The BMA wants stricter rules to tackle the illegal sale of e-cigarettes. Think of government-funded information campaigns. The government also wants to take measures to ban the sale of other products, such as nicotine pouches, to young people.
Charity Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) estimates that 18 percent of 11 to 17 year olds in the UK – or around 980,000 young people – will have vaped by 2024.
About 7.6 percent of 11- to 17-year-olds now vape regularly or occasionally, compared to 1.3 percent in 2014.
Professor David Strain, chair of the BMA’s scientific council, said: ‘There is no denying that we are living in a vaping epidemic.
‘Vaping use has increased dramatically over the past decade, with one in ten adults now vaping.
‘More worrying, however, is the increase in the number of young people who are vaping. Today, almost six times as many young people between the ages of 11 and 17 are vaping than 10 years ago.
‘As a doctor, I understand the role vapes can play in smoking cessation, but they have no rightful place in the lives of our children and young people. And when it comes to protecting their health, we cannot afford to gamble.
‘An industry that clearly targets children with colours, flavours and brands to promote a product that can lead to nicotine addiction and potential further harm can no longer be tolerated.
‘And with two vapes thrown away every second in the UK, the environmental impact of this epidemic is disastrous.’
The World Health Organization has labeled vaping as harmful.
Kyla Blight, a 17-year-old student who had been vaping since she was 15, made headlines after she was rushed to hospital with a collapsed lung
The devices can lead to nicotine addiction, which in turn can cause health problems such as high blood pressure and chronic lung diseases.
Other harmful substances have also been found in e-cigarettes, such as lead and synthetic drugs.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: ‘The marketing of e-cigarettes to children and young people is completely unacceptable.
‘E-cigarettes can be an effective way for adult smokers to quit, but we have always been clear that children and adult non-smokers should never vape.
‘The Tobacco and Vape Act will put an end to the deliberate promotion of vapes to make them attractive to children. This will be done by, among other things, setting rules for flavours, packaging and the way and where they are presented in shops.’