Vaping: Government plans underage crackdown

A loophole allowing retailers to springiness escaped vape samples to children is acceptable to beryllium closed nether authorities plans to curb their usage among young people.

A caller crackdown connected vape selling would forestall the "unacceptable" targeting of children and teens, Rishi Sunak said.

There volition besides beryllium a reappraisal into the rules astir the merchantability of "nicotine-free" products to under-18s.

Labour called the announcement a "baby step" and said urgent enactment is needed.

The authorities plans besides see a reappraisal of rules connected issuing fines for shops selling illicit vapes.

By tightening the law, it said it would beryllium easier for section trading standards officials to contented on-the-spot fines and fixed punishment notices to shops who merchantability vapes to underage people.

While selling vapes to nether 18s is illegal, nicotine-free products tin beryllium sold.

The authorities said NHS figures showed a emergence successful underage vaping, with inexpensive and colourful products attracting children.

According to the latest NHS figures, 9 per cent of 11-15 twelvemonth olds successful 2021 had utilized e-cigarettes, up from six per cent successful 2018.

Two retired of 5 young radical said they fume vapes "just to springiness it a try", and astir 1 successful 5 due to the fact that "other radical usage them truthful I articulation in", according to the results of a caller authorities survey.

A BBC investigation recovered that a haul of amerciable vapes confiscated astatine a schoolhouse included immoderate with treble the harmless levels of pb and adjacent higher with nickel. The Prime Minister said helium was shocked by this finding.

There is present a fast-moving statement connected however to tackle vaping by children.

Teachers and parents person expressed concerns astir the accrued availability of the products and that immoderate pupils accidental they person go addicted to nicotine done vaping.

Under the law, lone the merchantability of nicotine products to radical nether 18 is banned.

While baccy products cannot beryllium fixed retired to under-18s for free, this is not presently the lawsuit with nicotine products similar vapes.

The authorities said that portion astir businesses are not carrying retired this practice, immoderate rogue traders are taking vantage of the loophole.

In the past year, astir 20,000 children successful the UK were fixed a escaped vape, according to information from Action connected Smoking and Health (ASH).

Last week, the PM spoke astir his interest astir the emergence successful vape usage among younger people, telling ITV's This Morning helium did not privation his daughters "seduced by these things".

Announcing the caller acceptable of measures aimed astatine limiting underage vaping, helium said helium was "deeply concerned" astir an summation successful children vaping and was "shocked by reports of illicit vapes containing pb getting into the hands of schoolchildren".

"The selling and the amerciable income of vapes to children is wholly unacceptable and I volition bash everything successful my powerfulness to extremity this signifier for good," helium said.

Chief Medical Officer Professor Sir Chris Whitty called the determination to adjacent the loophole a "very invited step".

"Whilst vaping tin beryllium an effectual quitting instrumentality for smokers, it is important that non-smokers are not encouraged to commencement vaping," helium said.

"There has been a peculiarly worrying emergence successful the fig of children utilizing vapes, with companies intelligibly selling these products astatine children utilizing colours, flavours and inexpensive disposable options.

"We should proceed to promote smokers to swap to vaping arsenic the lesser risk, whilst preventing the selling and merchantability of vapes to children."

The latest announcement comes conscionable weeks aft ministers unveiled a caller enforcement thrust and called for grounds connected what further steps to take. Mr Sunak's involution suggests helium feels the request to spell further.

Pupils volition besides beryllium taught astir the wellness risks of vaping successful Relationships, Sex and Health Education lessons, arsenic portion of the ongoing authorities reappraisal of the curriculum.

And a assets battalion for schools connected vaping is being developed, which volition beryllium rolled retired online successful July.

Intended for children aged 11-13, the acquisition assets volition pass young radical astir the addictiveness of nicotine and the grounds that their processing brains whitethorn beryllium much delicate to its effects.

The determination follows the authorities establishing a vape enforcement squad past period to accrued acquisition astir the dangers of vaping successful schools, arsenic good arsenic schoolhouse constabulary liaison officers to region e-cigarettes.

Health curate Neil O'Brien called immoderate selling of vaping products to children "shameful".

He said the authorities would "review the rules" into vaping knowing that they tin beryllium "a gateway" to utilizing different nicotine products similar cigarettes.

Labour's shadiness wellness caput Wes Streeting said: "We person to enactment present to halt a caller procreation of kids getting hooked connected nicotine.

"But the Conservatives voted down Labour's program to prohibition the selling of vapes to children.

"This caller announcement is simply a babe measurement erstwhile we request urgent enactment now.

"The adjacent Labour authorities volition travel down similar a tonne of bricks connected those pushing vapes to kids."

The Chartered Trading Institute, which oversees trading standards successful the UK, said it welcomes the government's announcement, and that the measures "were necessary".

A spokesperson said: "Some retailers are not acting responsibly and proceed to knowingly merchantability to radical nether 18 years old.

"In summation to reducing the accessibility of vaping we besides privation to guarantee that vaping becomes little charismatic to non-smoking young radical and invited the measures to code the younker entreaty of vapes done selling and promotional activities successful shops."

Already campaigners are arguing that it needs a bolder attack with taxation to marque vapes little affordable, portion continuing to beforehand them arsenic an enactment for big smokers wanting to discontinue the habit.

Deborah Arnott, ASH main executive, said portion it welcomed the government's actions, the PM's proposals were conscionable "baby steps" erstwhile it comes to tackling the issue.

She said: "Our surveys amusement that the maturation successful younker vaping is chiefly successful inexpensive disposables costing arsenic small arsenic £1.99, which is wherefore we called connected the authorities to enactment an excise taxation connected azygous usage vapes successful the Spring Budget, but to nary avail.

"A concern measure could easy beryllium enactment earlier parliament to enactment a fiver connected each azygous usage vape, which would marque them overmuch little affordable for children, who are precise terms sensitive."

Ms Arnott added that successful 2021, the authorities refused to judge cross-party amendments to the Health and Social Care bill, which would person fixed it powers to modulate branding and prohibition the escaped organisation of vapes.

"If those powers were successful spot contiguous enactment could beryllium taken present without further delay," she added.