UK Announces Ban on Disposable Vapes and Restrictions on Sweet-Flavored E-cigarettes Targeting Youth

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is set to unveil a comprehensive plan aimed at preventing children from developing nicotine addictions by banning the sale of disposable vapes and curbing the availability of flavors marketed towards young people. While it is currently illegal to sell vapes or tobacco to those under 18 in the UK, officials express concern over the tripling of youth vaping in the past three years, with colorful disposable vapes being identified as a significant factor.

In addition to the ban on disposable vapes, the government plans to regulate flavors specifically designed to appeal to children and enforce less visually appealing packaging for vape products. Prime Minister Sunak emphasized the urgency of addressing the rise in children vaping, citing the unknown long-term impacts of vaping and the highly addictive nature of nicotine.

Also Read: Wife Bites Husband’s Private Parts Due To His Demand For ‘Unnatural Sex’

The government is also committed to implementing a previously announced proposal to gradually raise the minimum age to buy cigarettes. The plan aims to prevent individuals born after January 1, 2009, from legally purchasing cigarettes. While health experts support the initiative, some members of the Conservative Party view it as excessive state intervention. The proposal takes inspiration from a plan in New Zealand, which was abandoned last year after a change in government.

Despite a significant decline in smoking rates in the UK since the 1970s, with a two-thirds reduction, approximately 6.4 million people, or 13 percent of the population, still smoke, according to official figures.