Of all the measures tried by Rishi Sunak's Government to try to save the Conservative Party from the foreseeable electoral debacle this year, the most popular has turned out to be the anti-smoking campaign aimed at minors.
Downing Street has promoted its strategy this Monday with the announcement of the absolute ban on the sale of disposable electronic cigarettes -
vapes
, as they are known -, an increasingly popular and attractive alternative for smokers.
At the beginning of the century, the American tobacco industry desperately tried a thousand tricks to survive the attacks of a society and authorities already fully aware of the lethal effects of cigarettes.
Camel packs, the most popular brand among teenagers, became a rejuvenated and modern blue.
The camel was drawn as a
cool character,
and the stores placed the merchandise at a height visible to minors.
Nothing has changed since then.
Disposable vapes are a type of electronic
cigarette
capable of providing the user between 400 and 600 puffs during their useful life.
Their price (about four euros) is much more affordable than that of rechargeable devices, and they are manufactured in different colors, with a wide variety of flavors and a shape very similar to that of a traditional cigarette.
They do not need attention or care.
They are used and thrown away.
They are perfect for smokers who want to kick the habit through the vaping transition.
But they can also be a trap to hook minors.
The number of minors who vape, according to the British Government, has tripled in the last three years.
9% of boys and girls between 11 and 15 years old are already hooked on this consumption which, under the appearance of being less harmful than conventional cigarettes, causes the same addiction.
Filled with nicotine salts in liquid form, the flavor and effect when inhaled is much softer in the throat, but they can contain high doses of nicotine—up to 20 milligrams—, camouflaged in fruit flavors.
In the United Kingdom, the sale of electronic cigarettes to those under 18 years of age is already prohibited.
With the new legislation, another series of measures will be added to the absolute prohibition on the sale of disposable
vapes
to make the acquisition of these products more complicated.
The number of flavors that can be offered will be restricted, and the packages containing the
vapes
will have a flatter design and numerous warnings, as has been the case for years with conventional packs.
“As Prime Minister, I have an obligation to take the long-term measures that I believe are best for the country.
That is why I have decided to take the drastic decision to ban disposable vapes, which are responsible for the increase in the number of minors who smoke,” Sunak defended.
“We still don't know the long-term effects of vaping, and the nicotine contained in these products can be highly addictive.
"It has become a method that can be useful for smokers who want to quit the habit, but it is unacceptable that it is trying to promote it to minors," added the prime minister.
In Spain, this type of device is still allowed, but Health has announced that it is working on banning disposable vapes due to their impact on health and the environment.
Environmental hazard
The Sunak Government hopes to be able to have the new measures approved before the end of the year, and before then the general election.
There is no official date, but consensus places them in mid-November.
To speed up the process, Downing Street could incorporate the ban on disposable
vapes
into the current Environmental Protection Law.
Five million disposable devices are thrown into the trash every week.
Each one contains the battery necessary to activate it.
Over the course of a year, the accumulated amount is the equivalent of the lithium batteries of 5,000 electric vehicles.
70% of parents, teachers, health professionals and organizations that have participated in the consultation period for the proposed legislation have supported the ban on disposable
vapes
.
“As a respiratory doctor, I have long known that smoking is the leading cause of respiratory illnesses in the UK.
We have been researching its effects on the general population for more than 60 years,” Mike McKean, vice president of the Royal College of Paediatricians and Child Health, celebrated the news.
“Research into electronic cigarettes is still in its infancy, and their effects, especially on children and young people, remain a big unknown.”
The hardline conservative wing has once again rebelled against a proposal from the Sunak Government that, according to them, threatens personal freedom.
But they are a minority with respect to an electorate that became aware of the risks of tobacco a long time ago.
In any case, the British Executive is considering offering freedom to vote to its deputies when the measure must be approved in the House of Commons.
“I don't think it goes against conservatism to worry about the health of minors,” Sunak challenged the rebels.
Last October, Downing Street announced the ban on smoking for minors, from the age of 14 and for the rest of their lives.
A measure similar to the one inaugurated along these lines by the Government of New Zealand.
“I propose that, in the future, we increase the legal smoking age year after year.
In this way, a 14-year-old will no longer be able to buy cigarettes for the rest of his life,” Sunak explained then.
By imposing a ban on the sale of tobacco to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009, and increasing the legal smoking age (18 years) by one year each year, the habit could be completely eliminated among people. young in 2040.
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