London, Oct 24 (IANS) The British government is set to ban the sale and supply of single-use vapes in England from next summer, it was announced on Thursday.
The Labour party government has proposed the legislation in a bid to curb a rise in vaping among young people, protect the environment, and “end the nation’s throwaway culture.”
If the bill receives parliamentary assent, the ban would be introduced from June 1, 2025, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has confirmed, Xinhua news agency reported.
Vape use in England has more than quadrupled from 2012 to 2023, and 9.1 per cent of the British public now buys and uses these products, according to the government.
The non-profit organisation Material Focus has estimated that five million single-use vapes were either discarded as litter or thrown away in general waste every week in the UK last year, the equivalent of eight vapes being discarded per second.
“Banning disposable vapes will not only protect the environment, but importantly reduce the appeal of vapes to children, and keep them out of the hands of vulnerable young people,” said Andrew Gwynne, minister for public health and prevention.
Despite the legal age of 18 for purchasing and using vaping products, figures published in August by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) indicated that around 20 percent of young people aged 11 to 17 have vaped in 2023 and 2024.
The latest statistics from the National Health Service (NHS) also show that a quarter of 11-to-15-year-olds have tried vaping, and nearly one in 10 do it frequently.
The ban was generally welcomed, as disposable vapes contribute to increased electronic waste, fire risks associated with their lithium-ion batteries, and the use of materials that can contaminate waterways and poison wildlife.
Laura Young, an environmental researcher and climate activist, called the government’s action “a welcome and crucial step” toward “breaking the grip of vaping on our youth, alongside challenging the throwaway culture threatening to suffocate our planet.”
Since the government has now proposed legislation to introduce the ban, business will have until June 1, 2025, to sell their remaining stock of disposable vapes. The UK government and devolved governments will align coming-into-force dates.
Without denying the challenges posed by vaping products, organisations such as the UK Vaping Industry Association and ASH warned that vulnerable groups of smokers, including those with mental health conditions and low income, should not be overlooked, given that vaping is supposed to be a tool to help people quit smoking.
–IANS
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