Fruit-flavoured vapes could be banned in the UK as the Government looks to curb growing levels of addiction among young people.
Public Health Minister Neil O’Brien is expected to call for an investigation on ways to tackle youth vaping in a speech next month, ITV reports.
The possibility of banning fruity flavours, which are enticing to children, is on the cards, according to reports.
In the UK it is illegal to sell vapes to children under the age of 18 but colourful advertisements for the products can be found on social media apps popular among teenagers, including TikTok, research has found.
Flavours such as pink lemonade, strawberry banana and mango are being advertised, prompting a study in March to suggest vape companies could sell their products in plain packaging.
Dr Katherine East, the study’s senior author from King’s College London: “Our study found that removing brand imagery from packs reduced appeal of vapes to teenagers without reducing appeal to adults.
“This is a vital difference, as it means that vapes can still appeal to adults as a tool to stop smoking, particularly because our previous research has established vaping is significantly less harmful than smoking.”
Experts have also warned how a new generation of disposable vapes known as “puff bars” – which contain nicotine – have flooded the market.
Disposable e-cigarettes are also increasing in popularity, in part because they cost around £5 and each come in a wide range of fruity flavours as well.
Leading doctor Dr Mike McKean, vice-president of policy for the Royal College of Paediatricians and Child Health, has warned the use of vapes and e-cigarettes by teenagers is a “new epidemic”.
“That’s huge amounts of children spending money on products that are not cheap, and they’re inhaling chemicals we don’t know the long-term effects of,” he told the Guardian.
Mr O’Brien said the Government is developing a new resource pack for schools on vaping which will be made “before the end of the school year”, in a written response to a question from Labour in the Commons last week.
“Vapes are not risk-free, nicotine is highly addictive and can be harmful, and there are unanswered questions on the effects of longer-term use,” the minister said.
“We have regulations in place to discourage underage vaping. The law protects children through restricting sales of vapes to over-18-year-olds only, limiting nicotine content, refill bottle and tank sizes, labelling requirements and through advertising restrictions.
He added: “There is currently no evidence that young people move from using vapes to tobacco products, including cigarettes.”
On Wednesday Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said the Department of Health and Social Care is “exploring a range of new measures, particularly about addressing youth vaping”.
Tory MP Neil Hudson said there are “concerning reports of school children becoming addicted to these products”, and urged the Justice Secretary to crack down on the promotion and illegal sale of vapes to under 18s and to “prosecute those who break the law in this regard”.
Department of 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.
“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.”
