BMA Wants A Bigger Ban

Speaking on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, Andrew Gwynne MP wrote on Twitter/X: “Disposable vapes are not only bad for the environment, they appeal to kids. That's why Defra is banning the sale of single-use vapes. Alongside the upcoming Tobacco and Vapes Bill, the disposable ban stops kids being hooked on nicotine and paves the way for a Smoke-free UK.”

The Department of Health and Social Care tweeted: “Banning disposable vapes will stop children from becoming hooked on nicotine. We will also introduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill to pave the way for a smoke-free UK. Moving from sickness to prevention is one of the three shifts which will be part of our 10 Year Health Plan.”

The comments come as a result of a consultation process that largely ignored industry and harm reduction advocacy voices and focussed only on the puritanical rantings of organisations that won’t be happy until vaping is regulated out of existence.

The BMA says it is a professional association and trade union representing and negotiating on behalf of all doctors in the UK. 

“A leading voice advocating for outstanding health care and a healthy population. An association providing members with excellent individual services and support throughout their lives.”

It has been one of the major bodies pushing a Bloomberg/ WHO narrative in the UK when it comes to vaping. It has constantly warned that ‘we don’t know what’s in them’, ‘we don’t know the long-term effects’, ‘colours and flavours are part of a tobacco industry plot to rope teens into lifelong nicotine addiction’.

Responding to news that disposable vapes will be banned from June 2025, BMA board of science chair Professor David Strain and BMA public health medicine committee chair Dr Heather Grimbaldeston said: “Cheap disposable vapes are just one of the ways that these products are targeted at young people and a ban is long overdue. We have been campaigning for an end to single-use vapes for some time, in order to slow down the growing youth vaping epidemic, and tackle the huge environmental burden they pose.

“But this move alone will not stop young people vaping. The Government must waste no time in publishing its long-promised Tobacco and Vapes Bill to make urgent progress in other areas to get these addictive and potentially harmful products out of our young people’s hands and lungs. This means a tougher stance on flavours, packaging, advertising and marketing, making them both less attractive and available to children and young people.”

It's incredible that The BMA considers itself a professional association and yet throws around the word “epidemic” and lies that teen vaping is “growing” – neither of which are true. Calling for a flavour ban, The BMA is ignoring all of the evidence showing that this is one of the main reasons why vaping works as a smoking cessation tool.

In its recent report, the BMA called on UK Government to:

• Ban the manufacture for commercial sale, and the commercial sale of all disposable vapes, on the grounds of disproportionate and harmful use by children and young people and their adverse impact on the environment.
• Ban all non-tobacco vape flavours.
• Prohibit the use of all imagery, colouring and branding for both the packaging and vape device.
• Reduce visibility of vapes through further restrictions on all advertising and marketing; and ensure vapes are kept behind the counter and not on display in shops and retail outlets.
• Tackle the illegal sales of vapes by accompanying tighter regulations with:
  • The requirement for manufacturers to provide clear product information.
  • Government funded and delivered education campaigns:
• for retailers on products, details of regulation and consequences of non-compliance for the public on the dangers of vapes to reduce appeal
• Increased and adequate resources, funding and powers for regulating bodies such as Trading Standards and Border Force to enable regular and consistent monitoring and enforcement.
• An increase of the fines and sanctions that regulatory bodies can issue.
• Implement tighter regulation and restrictions for related nicotine products, such as nicotine pouches to prevent their availability and marketing towards children and young people. This should include age of sale restrictions, plain packaging, clear product contents information and restricted point of sale displays.

Dave Cross

Journalist at POTV

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Dave 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.