UK Government to Ban Disposable Vapes

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Facts

• The UK government announced a plan on Sunday to ban the sale of disposable vapes as part of an effort to tackle the rise in young people vaping.¹
• While it's already illegal to sell vapes to anyone under the age of eighteen, according to the UK government disposable vapes, which are often much cheaper and come in smaller more colorful packaging, are a 'key driver behind the alarming rise in youth vaping.'²
• Under the plan, vape flavors would be restricted and packaging and displays would be required to be changed to make them less desirable to children. Also on Monday, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reiterated his government's commitment to gradually phase out the sale of tobacco by making sure children who turn 15 this year and younger, are never legally able to purchase tobacco products.³
• The ban on disposable vapes and additional restrictions are likely to be put in place late this year or early next year through a mix of a bill as well as secondary legislation. A second law banning the sale of tobacco products to anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 2009, may be included in the same bill.⁴
• In his announcement, Sunak said that adults who want to use e-cigarettes to quit smoking will still be able to access vape kits. Although the number of people who smoke in the UK has decreased by 66% since the 1970s, nearly 13% of the population still smokes.⁵
• The UK will join a number of other countries that plan to ban disposable vapes including Australia, France, Germany, and New Zealand.²

Sources: ¹www.reuters.com, ²BBC News, ³US News & World Report, ⁴Guardian and ⁵Associated Press.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by BBC News. Vaping is addictive and causes people to inhale harmful chemicals whose long-term impacts have not been fully studied. This law is a step in the right direction toward preventing children from vaping.
• Narrative B, as provided by Filter. It's reasonable of course to restrict access to vaping products for children. That said, it's important to be wary of alarmist state overreach — like installing anti-vape sensors and close-circuit televisions in schools that bring up serious privacy concerns.

Predictions