Four years ago, I wrote a column in this newspaper warning about an epidemic of vaping among teenagers, outlining tough regulation. I could publish it again today because nothing has changed. Except the number of teens vaping has doubled. And tobacco firms have got smarter luring a new generation into the nicotine trap.
The Government has not intervened, at all, until very recently. The Prime Minister, nudged by the fact that his own daughters are soon teenagers and new research, has launched an ‘illicit vape enforcement squad’ (like something out of The Incredibles but less effective). He is banning free vape samples for children, because it is not presently illegal to hand out free e-cigarettes to children. Some oversight. And the Government has ordered a review into adding on-the-spot fines to retailers selling vapes to under-18s. Meanwhile, tobacco companies who own the biggest vaping brands are moving into action, delivering empty warnings that tougher regulation will drive them onto the black market. Really? This is nicotine not marijuana.
