Disposable vapes are set to be banned – but how will the ban impact Cumbria?
The Government revealed its plan to ban disposable vapes earlier this week in a bid to tackle an ‘alarming rise’ in young people vaping.
New powers are being introduced to restrict vape flavours, introduce plain packaging and change how vapes are displayed in shops to make them less appealing to children.
Disposable vapes currently come in bright colours and dozens of flavours and can be sold next to sweets in sight of children. Under the new powers, single-use vapes would be treated in a similar way to tobacco.
It is also hoped the ban will have a positive impact on the environment as a total of five million single-use disposable vapes are currently thrown away each week across the country.
The ban will be enforced later this year or in early 2025 and it is currently expected to be passed successfully in parliament via a bill and secondary legislation.
But how will the ban impact disposable vape sales in Cumbria? will it fully stop children from vaping? and how serious is youth vaping really?
Urgent vaping education needed in schools
Cumbrian addictions charity CADAS said they welcomed the ban – but added they did not think it would be enough to completely stop children vaping.
The charity believe vaping and smoking education is urgently needed in schools to teach youngsters about the harms associated with it.
Leigh Williams, CADAS CEO, said: “It’s great news to hear about the banning of disposable vapes. However, teaching staff cannot take their foot off the gas as banning single-use vapes will not stop the tsunami of vaping among our young people in schools.
“Here at CADAS, we truly believe this is a major issue for our young people. We want schools to work in partnership with CADAS to build vaping education into their curriculum for the next decade to make real sustained change.”
CADAS have urged schools across the county to support the charity’s aim to educate children through specialist, age-appropriate sessions.
Hollie Wainwright, the charity’s schools liaison coordinator said: “We know that vaping is an issue, with many schools noticing and recognising this is a huge concern which they don’t know how to tackle.
“We truly believe education is essential and with the support of schools, together we can help to make a difference.”
According to recent figures released by the Government the number of children using vapes in the past three years has tripled.
Use among younger children is also rising – with nine per cent of 11 to 15 year olds across the UK now using vapes.
Recent studies carried out in the county include the Cumbrian Children and Young People Survey, developed by the Schools Health Education Unit in partnership with Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council.
The survey involved 5114 pupils from 43 primary schools and 19 secondary schools across Cumbria and sought youngsters views on health and wellbeing.
It found that five per cent of year six pupils – who are around nine or 10 years old – had tried vaping and four per cent had said their parents or carers knew they had tried it.
A total of 21 per cent of primary school aged children reported that someone vapes indoors at home in rooms they use and a further 18 per cent said someone vapes in a car when they are in it.
The survey also found that 33 per cent of secondary pupils had at least tried vaping and 26 per cent reported that someone vapes indoors at home in rooms they use.
A further 21 per cent also reported someone vaping in a car when they are in it.
Not just ‘water vapour’
The long-term health impacts of vaping are unknown but the nicotine contained within vapes can be highly addictive.
According to the Cumbria Youth Substance Misuse Team a large amount of young people believe vaping is just water vapour when in reality it’s closer to an aerosol.
Trading Standards in Cumbria confiscated around 5,000 illegal nicotine vaping products between April 1 2022 and March 31 2023.
Illegal disposable vapes have unknown contents and can include stimulants like caffeine or taurine or colourings and chemicals that are carcinogenic.
While vaping can help adult smokers to quit, children should never vape and withdrawal from nicotine can cause anxiety, trouble concentrating and headaches that lead to addiction.
Trading Standards in Cumbria and Cumbria Youth Substance Misuse Team have also shared intelligence that young people are getting vapes through various different sources in the county.
Examples include proxy sales where parents buy vapes for their children as a reward for good behaviour, going online or using apps like TikTok to buy vapes, where illegal disposables are more likely to be found.
Service providers such as barbers, hairdressers, nail salons and vans parked outside of schools have also been found to illegally provide vapes to children in Cumbria.
What will happen to shops selling disposable vapes?
Once the ban is passed in parliament, its legislation will allow a buffer period of at least six months to allow businesses to adapt to the new rules.
Adults will still legally be able to purchase a disposable vape in this period of time up until the point where the ban becomes law.
Shops selling non-disposable vapes will have to sell restricted vape flavours, introduce plain packaging and change how vapes are displayed to make them less appealing to children.
Vaping alternatives – such as nicotine pouches – will also be outlawed for children.
The Government are also cracking down on underage sales and are planning to bring in new fines for shops in England and Wales that sell vapes illegally to children.
Trading standards officers will be empowered to act ‘on the spot’ to tackle both underage tobacco and vape sales which aims to build on a maximum £2,500 fine that local authorities can already impose on sellers.
Some retailers have argued that the ban may result in a ‘black market’ demand for disposables while also seriously financially impacting disposable vape shops and sellers.
New laws coming in alongside the disposable vape ban will also make it illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone born on or after January 1 2009 as part of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s pledge to create a ‘smokefree’ generation.
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