Britain Will Ban Disposal Vapes To Prevent Use By Children

Illustration of vape. (Unsplash/RELX)

JAKARTA - The British government will ban the sale of single-use vapes to avoid use by minors, reaffirming the country's plans to introduce legislation preventing the younger generation from buying tobacco.

Under this new regulation, there will be vape flavor restrictions, plain packaging requirements and changes in vape methods, or e-cigarettes, to make them less attractive to children.

"Along with our commitment to stop these 15-year-old or younger children from selling cigarettes legally, this change will leave an eternal legacy by protecting the health of our children for the long term," Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said last month.

The British government says smoking is the largest preventable killer in the country, causing one in four cancer-related deaths, or about 80,000 deaths per year.

In October, PM Sunak announced plans to pass any law that was born on or after January 1, 2009, will not be able to buy tobacco for life.

While vape is seen as the key to helping people quit smoking, there are concerns vape can encourage nicotine addiction among young people, where 9 percent of children aged 11 to 15 are now using it, the government says.

Previously, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in December all vape flavors should be banned.

However, industry groups and the British Vaping Industry Association argue that vapes have a much lower health risk than tobacco, and taste is key in encouraging smokers to switch.

"I have an obligation to do what I think is the right thing for our country in the long term," said PM Sunak.

"That's why I took the bold action to ban single-use vapes, which have pushed for increased vaping among the younger generation, put forward new powers to limit the taste of vapes, introduce plain packaging and change the way vapes are displayed in stores," he explained.

The government also said that in addition to its health benefits, the ban on the use of single-use vapes will also help the environment, with five million vapes being thrown away every week.