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The government is clamping down on a loophole that allows vaping companies to give free samples to children in England.
There will also be a review into banning the vaping industry selling ‘nicotine-free’ vapes to under 18s and fines for shops selling illicit vapes.
This will aim to complement existing fine and penalty procedures, and where possible cover both illegal and underage sales for vapes and tobacco. Where gaps are identified, it says that they will take action to close them.
It comes as NHS figures show that vaping in children aged 11 to 15 years has increased to 9% in 2021 from 6% in 2018.
New vaping enforcement squad
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “I am deeply concerned about the sharp rise in kids vaping and shocked by reports of illicit vapes containing lead getting into the hands of school children.
“Our new illicit vape enforcement squad – backed by £3 million – is on the case, but clearly there is more to do. That is why I am taking further action today to clamp down on rogue firms who unlawfully target our children with these products. The marketing and the illegal sales of vapes to children is completely unacceptable and I will do everything in my power to end this practice for good.”
Manufacturers must notify the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) before vape products are placed on the market, including disposables. The MHRA has recently taken steps to improve their notification processes and crack down on non-compliant vapes.
Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty added: “While vaping can be an effective quitting tool for smokers, it is important that non-smokers are not encouraged to start vaping. There has been a particularly worrying rise in the number of children using vapes, with companies clearly marketing these products at children using colours, flavours and cheap disposable options.
“Closing the loophole that allows companies to give out free samples of vaping products to under 18s is a very welcome step in tackling some of the harms caused by the vaping industry. We should continue to encourage smokers to swap to vaping as the lesser risk, while preventing the marketing and sale of vapes to children.”
In a recent Action on Smoking and Health Smokefree GB Youth Survey 2023 of 11 to 17 year olds, 2 out of 5 young people said they smoke vapes “just to give it a try” and about 1 in 5 because “other people use them so I join in”.
Therefore, action will also be taken in schools, making sure that dedicated police school liaison officers across the country are using new resources to keep illegal vapes out of schools.
The health risks of vaping will be also included in Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) lessons, as part of the government’s ongoing review of RSHE, in order to further discourage children from taking up vaping.