Fruit and sweet-flavoured disposable vapes could be banned for teenagers under new plans, according to reports.
Amid fears that young people are getting hooked on multi-coloured Elf Bars and similar products, ministers are expected to announce sweeping access restrictions on vapes for those aged under 18.
Neil O’Brien, a minister for public health, will set in motion a call for evidence within days ahead of restricting access to the nicotine products for under-18s, according to The Sun.
The newspaper suggests that the review will look into the “appearance and characteristics” of vape products, such as branding, marketing, colour and flavours.
Ministers will also investigate how such products are marketed on social media, due to concerns that the brightly-coloured packaging and flavour names – such as Coconut Melon, Cotton Candy Ice and Strawberry Ice Cream – are being used to entice young customers.
The Sun says that Mr O’Brien will launch an expert consultation on protecting young people in a major speech on smoking next month.
The MP for Harborough is also expected to offer a formal response to an independent review by Dr Javed Khan OBE into the government’s ambition to make England and Wales smoke-free by 2030.
Dr Khan’s review, published last June, said smoking should be banned in outdoor spaces and that ministers will not meet the smoke-free target without urgent reforms.
His review suggested “mandating anti-smoking messages on cigarette sticks, such as the number of ‘minutes of life lost’ per cigarette”
He also suggested cigarettes be designed using “dissuasive colours” and emblazoned with a“smoking kills” warning.
But The Sun claims that ministers are now set to reject Dr Khan’s suggestions. A Whitehall source told the newspaper: “That is not something we are looking at taking forward.”
According to NHS data from 2021, 5 per cent of all adults were defined as current e-cigarette users. It also revealed almost one in ten 11 to 15-year-olds vaped compared to just six per cent in 2018, a figure which soared s to almost one in five among over 15s.
A Department for Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Smoking kills, so our priority is to prevent people smoking, and supporting them to quit. The government remains committed to our ambition to be smokefree by 2030.
“However, while vaping is a preferable alternative to smoking for adults, we are concerned about the rise in youth vaping, particularly the increasing use of disposable vaping products.
“We are exploring a range of measures to address this – including clamping down on children accessing vapes illegally, and those who are getting them hooked on nicotine. It’s right for the government to do all it can to protect children from addiction.”
