UK unveils plan to ban disposable e-cigarettes

LONDON: The UK will introduce legislation to ban disposable e-cigarettes in order to tackle a rise in youth vaping, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced on Monday.

“You talk to any parent or teacher, they will talk to you about the worrying rise in vaping amongst children,” Sunak told the media during a visit to a school in Darlington, northeast England.

“It´s right we take strong action to stamp this out, banning disposable vapes, taking powers to go after the flavours, the appearance, the packaging, where vapes are displayed in stores,” he added.

“Children shouldn´t be vaping.”

Pre-filled disposable e-cigarettes, known as “puffs”, are popular with young people, can have a high nicotine content, come in many flavours and are cheap.

The government cited recent figures showing the proportion of vapers under the age of 18 who use disposables has increased almost ninefold in the last two years.

Sunak´s government also plans to introduce fines for shops in England and Wales that sell vapes illegally to children.

Health experts welcomed the proposal, with Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty saying the legislation would have “a major public health impact across many future generations”.