The government says stop.
The United Kingdom announced this Monday its desire to ban disposable electronic cigarettes, very popular among young people with their fruity tastes, but which worry doctors and health authorities.
The ban is part of a broader plan to combat smoking announced last fall by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
“One of the most worrying trends of the moment is the increase in vaping among young people, and we must therefore act before it becomes endemic,” he said, quoted in a press release.
According to official figures, among young people aged 11 to 17 who vape, the share of those who consume disposable electronic cigarettes, also called “puffs”, has increased nine-fold in two years.
The consumption of these disposable products is “a key factor in the alarming increase” in the number of young people who use electronic cigarettes, notes the government which points to the “unknown” long-term effects of vaping.
Coming into force at the beginning of 2025
The government “wants to help children avoid being catastrophically lured into nicotine addiction, to which vaping is often a gateway,” Health Minister Victoria Atkins told the BBC.
She specified that this ban should take place at the beginning of next year.
'How is it going to work and when's it going to come into force?'
Health Secretary Victoria Atkins is questioned on #BBCBreakfast about plans to ban disposable vapes as well as phase out the sale of cigarettes https://t.co/iKLBXJITpI pic.twitter.com/f2O9l3mdBA
— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) January 29, 2024
In addition to this ban on disposable electronic cigarettes, London will also reduce the number of flavors authorized for classic electronic cigarettes, make their packaging less attractive and regulate the way these products are presented in stores so that they are less visible to consumers. youth.
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Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United Kingdom, says the government.
It causes approximately one in four cancer deaths.
Last October, the Prime Minister also announced that he wanted to extend the ban on the sale of cigarettes so that the United Kingdom gradually becomes a tobacco-free country.
Currently, the legal age to buy cigarettes in the UK is 18 and the government wants to raise this legal age by one year each year.