The government must ban flavoured and disposable vapes, doctors say, to protect children against a growing epidemic of use in the UK.
The British Medical Association says bold action is needed and vapes have no rightful place in young people’s lives.
Children are being targeted with colours, branding and flavours such as bubble gum or candy floss, it says, to push a product that can lead to nicotine addiction.
About 8% of 11-17-year-olds vape, according to estimates.
Although it was already illegal to sell any vape to anyone under 18, Prof David Strain, who chairs the BMA’s Board of Science, said children still needed more protection.
“There is no denying we are living in a vaping epidemic,” he said.
“Vape usage has risen hugely in the last decade, with one in 10 adults now vaping.
”However, far more worrying, is the increase in young people who vape, with almost six times more 11-17-year-olds vaping now compared with 10 years ago.
”As a doctor, I understand the role vapes can play in helping people to stop smoking – but they have no rightful place in our children and young people’s lives and when it comes to protecting their health, we cannot afford to gamble.”
Prof Strain told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme vapes were designed to help people quit smoking.
“Well over half the adults using vapes are ex-smokers – they’ve successfully used the vape to quit,” he said. But he added that “fancy” packaging and flavours were marketed at young people.
The BMA wants:
- all vape flavours other than tobacco banned
- disposable vapes banned
- a ban on the use of all imagery, colouring and branding for both the packaging and vape device, similar to current restrictions on cigarettes
- vapes taken off shop shelves and kept behind the counter for sale instead
In February, the Conservative government introduced the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, aimed at “striking the right balance” between restricting access for children and maintaining it for adults trying to quit smoking.
Vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking but has not been around for long enough for its long-term risks to be known, according to the NHS.
The bill was set to introduce plainer packaging and bring in powers to stop refillable vapes being sold in flavours marketed at children.
When Labour took over, it announced it would reintroduce the bill, which would also gradually increase the age at which people can buy tobacco.
A Department of Health and Social Care official said: “The marketing of vapes to children and young people is utterly unacceptable.
“Vapes 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 Vapes Bill will stop vapes from deliberately being branded and advertised to appeal to children, including by regulating flavours, packaging and changing how and where they are displayed in shops.”
The UK Vaping Industry Association said it agreed that stronger measures were needed to cut off the supply of youth vaping and illicit products.
However, it said bans could “supercharge the black market” and push the nation’s smoke-free ambitions further out of reach “by deterring adult smokers from making the switch and driving current vapers into the hands of underground sellers or back to cigarettes”.
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