UK Disposable Vape Ban Bill
The Conservative MP for Sleaford and North Hykeham, Dr Caroline Johnson, is to push for a complete ban of disposable vapes in the UK this Wednesday
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by Dave Cross
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Dr Johnson MP will be presenting her Bill, Disposable electronic cigarettes (prohibition of sale), in the morning of Wednesday 8th February in the Main Chamber.
Dr Johnson told a local journalist: “The Government is committed to achieving a smoke-free generation by 2030. Reusable e-cigarettes and vapes remain an important aid to quitting smoking, but I fear that their colourful, child friendly flavoured, disposable counterparts are luring non-smokers into a life of addiction, which risks creating a new generation of nicotine addicts. I look forward to presenting my Bill to Parliament soon and to highlighting the effects disposable e-cigarettes and vapes are having on our nation’s health and natural environment.”
The MP’s move follows two petitions to the Government demanding that disposable vapes are banned. One was rejected last January because it only achieved 143 signatures. The current one has 848 signatures at time of writing.
The petition states: “Ban the import and sale of disposable vapes. The vapes mostly contain lithium batteries, which there is currently a global shortage. Due to being incorrectly discarded, plus the difficulties of recycling, the vapes are polluting waters and causing negative impacts to biodiversity.”
At the end of 2023, a group of environmental and health groups sent an open letter to the Environment Secretary and Health Secretary. The eighteen groups included the Green Alliance, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, the Marine Conservation Society and the RSPCA.
The groups wanted the Government to stop what they see as a “rapidly escalating threat”.
They argued that disposable vapes are “unnecessary electrical items” that contain single use plastic, nicotine, and batteries, all of which are “hazardous to the environment and wildlife when littered”.
Frighteningly, Dr Honey Smith, director and co-chair of the National Leads group of Greener Practice, said: “As a GP I see the effects of smoking every day of my working life. Whilst many GPs are happy to see short term vaping used as a route to giving up smoking, we don’t know enough about vaping yet to determine how safe it is. There has been recent evidence that use of e-cigarettes is just as bad for the blood vessels as smoking cigarettes. Also, teenagers who vape are three to four times more likely to smoke cigarettes later in life. So it’s very concerning that products are widely available that are especially attractive to teenagers, encouraging them to take up a habit that might cause them long term health problems.”
There is almost no chance that Johnson’s Bill will be adopted but this marks the first time Parliament will have witnessed a move to ban an aspect of vaping.
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.
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