Vaping advocates have criticized the government’s plans to ban disposable e-cigarettes and their sweet flavours, claiming it would cause one in five users to return to smoking.
Laws allowing tighter restrictions were announced in last Tuesday’s King’s Speech. Ministers are reportedly considering limiting e-cigarette flavors to tobacco and mint, banning store displays, introducing uniform packaging and a blanket ban on disposable e-cigarettes.
Last month, Health Minister Steve Barclay said he was particularly concerned about the “way in which e-cigarettes are marketed to children and made to look like candy”.
Also of concern was the environmental impact of millions of disposable items containing batteries piling up in landfills.
However, the move could backfire, says David Phillips of Vape Superstore, who surveyed 1,000 customers and found that 21 percent of disposable vaporizer users would return to smoking.
It has been claimed that candy and fruit flavored disposable vapes could be banned for teenagers (file photo)
Experts have expressed concern that children are not fully aware of the contents of e-cigarettes, and many are so worried about their next “fix” that they are begging teachers to let them vape in schools.
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The survey also suggested that a ban on sugary “e-liquids” used with refillable e-cigarette pens would lead to a third of vapers returning to tobacco, while one in seven to products with its favorite flavor will resort to buying on the black market. . These results echo previous research that suggested flavors were a major reason why smokers switched to vaping.
Research has also found that measures such as uniform packaging create the false impression that smoking and vaping are equally harmful, making smokers less likely to switch.
Professor Alan Boobis, head of the UK’s toxicity committee, told the MoS earlier this year: “I don’t think anyone who has looked closely at the research would say that there is evidence that e-cigarettes are harmful.”
In addition to nicotine, vapors also contain chemicals, including preservatives and flavorings. However, Prof Boobis added that the concentrations of most of these were “very low and comparable or lower than the amount normally found in the air”.
Mr Phillips said: “It is worrying to see that one in five vapers would consider taking up smoking again if disposable vapes were banned.”
Vape use has increased from around 700,000 adult users in 2012 to 4.7 million this year.
According to the charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), around 2.7 million of these are ex-smokers.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
