England And Wales Approve Ban On Disposable Vapes

Vaping in general has been met with criticism in recent years on matters ranging from addiction to health effects to underage use. But a particularly objectionable variant is the disposable vape.

In addition to the aforementioned concerns of traditional products, the single-use version has a greater potential negative environmental impact.

The hammer comes down

With the latest move by officials in England and Wales, most of the United Kingdom is united in prohibiting the sale of disposable vapes. In these two countries, the ban will take effect in June.

A previous decision in Scotland had mandated that the devices be outlawed there as of April, but that order has been amended with a delay to coincide with the implementation of bans in England and Wales.

Analyzing the statistics

According to the U.K.’s Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, vaping has become a significant problem on several fronts. It released a trove of information on the topic in support of the new rules.

Some of the highlights include:

• A 400% increase in vape use between 2012 and 2023
• About 9% of Brits currently buy and use vapes
• Hundreds of fires start each year from discarded vape batteries
• Almost 4 times more were thrown away in 2024 than in 2023

Banning single-use vapes, Public Health Minister Andrew Gwynne claimed, would “reduce the appeal of vapes to children and keep them out of the hands of vulnerable young people.”

The industry strikes back

As part of its opposition to the new rule, vaping industry representatives say it’s unwarranted and would increase demand for black market vapes.

But U.K. leaders insist the lower price, wider accessibility, and brightly colored packages of disposable vapes is a clear danger to young people and the benefits of banning them outweigh the potential risks.

Chris Agee October 26th, 2024

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