A blueberry sour raspberry smoker has warned MPs that a ban on e-liquid flavours could stop the effectiveness of vapes as a tool to quit cigarettes.
Lee Dillon, the Liberal Democrat MP for Newbury, said on Tuesday he threw away his last packet of conventional cigarettes after trying a cherry vape in France.
But Conservative shadow health minister Dr Caroline Johnson urged caution, and said she struggles to “understand why adults would want a vape flavoured by unicorn milkshake”.
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which MPs backed 415 to 47, majority 368, in a vote on Tuesday, could give ministers the power to ban or limit flavours, and make regulations about packaging.
The draft law faces further scrutiny at a later date.
Mr Dillon told the Commons: “This Bill could go too far on vaping.”
He added that if ministers ban flavours, it could “undo the Government’s ambition of a smokefree country”.
The MP pointed to a US study of more than 20,800 vapers, published in the Harm Reduction Journal, which indicated smokers who start using e-cigarettes with non-tobacco flavoured liquids are more likely to use them daily and in turn, quit smoking.
“That was my experience too,” he said.
“I first purchased a refillable vape in France. It came with a tobacco flavour and it came with a cherry flavour.”
Mr Dillon continued: “I knew what tobacco tasted like, I had my own cigarettes in my pocket. So I tried the cherry flavour and I enjoyed that cherry flavour so much I never opened the tobacco flavoured vape pot.
“I took the cigarettes that I had in my pocket back home to England. They were in my bedside table for six months, after which I screwed the packet up and threw it away, and I’ve never had a cigarette since.
“I honestly feel that the provisions in the Bill for ministers to be able to ban flavours for adults is going too far.
“For the record, I vape something called blueberry sour raspberry – it’s not aimed at children because I buy it from a specialist vape shop where you have to be over 18, I’ve got the bottle in my pocket, and it has no high colours or fancy graphics on it at all.”
But Kirith Entwistle, the Labour MP for Bolton North East, told MPs: “Flavours like bubblegum and rainbow candy, paired with colourful cartoon-like packaging, are blatantly targeting children.
“And of course, it’s true that flavourings play an undoubtedly important role in helping adults quit smoking, however, we must be honest, too many vapes are being deliberately designed as a gateway to nicotine for children who have never smoked.”
From the Opposition despatch box, Dr Johnson said: “Nicotine is a powerfully addictive product. Young people are particularly susceptible to this, and therefore it’s very important that we protect children from vaping and other nicotine products.
“It is, after all, an adult activity. It’s designed apparently to help smokers quit, and while the industry may argue that flavours and colours are enjoyed by adults, and they may well be enjoyed by adults, I personally struggle to understand why adults would want a vape flavoured by unicorn milkshake – whatever a unicorn’s milk tastes like.”
