On September 11th 2023 there were a lot of mutterings about there being a ban on single use (disposable) vapes.

For instance The Guardian ran with the headline – “Ministers set to ban single-use vapes in UK over child addiction fears“.

guardian uk disposable ban

The Guardian article is full of negative messages about disposable vapes in particular but is also slating vaping full stop. Here is an example…

“Scott Butler, the executive director at Material Focus, said last Friday that the “problem with single-use vapes has gotten further out of control” over the past year. “Single-use vapes are a strong contender for being the most environmentally wasteful, damaging and dangerous consumer product ever made,” he said.”

But I do agree on the waste issue – which we will be covering in another article in the future. I quote from the Guardian article…

“Last week, the Guardian revealed that 5 million single-use vapes are being thrown away in the UK every week, a fourfold increase on 2022. Research by the not-for-profit organisation Material Focus said this amounted to eight vapes a second being discarded, with the lithium in the products enough to create 5,000 electric car batteries a year.”

I am pleased to see a follow up article from the Guardian – “Ban on single-use vapes in UK may ‘flood market with illegal products’“.

guardian disposable ban implications

This is exactly what might happen, I can’t see people giving up disposables the second they are banned. There will be a lot of excess stock which has to be disposed of and is likely to end up on the “Black market“. Not to mention dodgy sellers who will then totally be off the radar selling unregulated devices. Which is very scary.

Another UK Newspaper – The Sun – led with “E-CIG CRACKDOWN Disposable vapes will be banned in England as early as next week in bid to stop children getting addicted”

the sun disposable vape ban

Also The Times and Telegraph have reported on this – but sadly as they are Paywalled I cannot read to make a comment.

Table of Contents

Is It True?

Upon closer examination there could be a consultation issued by the Department of Health and Social Care next week – but the timings are not firmly specified.

This does mean that the headlines do have a hint of “scaremongering about them.

UKVIA Response

The UKVIA (UK Vaping Industry Association) have published a Press Release which I will copy and paste below.

ukvia logo

Press Release

Statement from UK Vaping Industry Association re: reported government consultation on disposable vapes.

John Dunne, Director General of the UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA), said:

“It’s important to point out that this is about a consultation and that no decisions have been made on the future of disposable vapes.

“We welcome the idea of a consultation on disposables as it’s key that the industry gets the opportunity to highlight the benefits, and therefore continued need, for single use vapes as a smoking cessation method.

“A ban is not the answer. Some 220 people die from smoking every day, 365 days a year. Disposables have proved to be highly effective in helping smokers quit their habits due to their ease of use, accessibility and low entry price points. They are one of the main reasons as to why the number of adult smokers in Great Britain have hit record lows for the last two years according to the Office for National Statistics.

“We’ve always acknowledged that the issues of youth vaping and environmental impact of vapes need to be tackled. However, it is clear that significantly increased enforcement is required against retailers who sell to minors, which is illegal – new research by Arcus Compliance this week will reveal that fines handed out to retailers for underage and illicit product sales amounted to just over £2,000 in 11 major provincial UK cities between 2021-23.

“The UKVIA has proposed to government on more than one occasion fines of up to £10,000 per instance for rogue retailers caught selling to U18s, as well as retail licensing and national test purchasing schemes.

“The association has also encouraged the government to adopt a set of Packaging, Labelling and Flavour Name guidelines it has created. These are designed to set clear standards for e-liquid, flavour names and flavour descriptors on sale in the UK market. The guidelines focus on limiting references to youth culture, removing imagery and descriptors which are considered to be child appealing.

“Finally, there is also overwhelming evidence that vape bans lead to black markets in the sale of such products and increased smoking rates, putting smokers and vapers at significantly more risk of harm across the world.

“The black market already exists in the UK and represents over 50% of the single use market and this would only accelerate with a ban.”

“As regards the environmental impact of vapes we are leading the way in bringing all stakeholders together in the vape waste chain to address the challenge posed by single use vapes. However, the biggest challenge is getting consumers to recycle their vapes and providing the waste disposal facilities in public places and at points of use that will enable higher recycling rates. Recent analysis by leading electrical waste management company, Waste Experts, highlighted that disposable vapes are highly recyclable.”

Institute Of Economic Affairs Response

The IEA (Institute of Economic Affairs) has also published a response.

iea logo

Press Release

Commenting on reports that the government will propose banning disposable e-cigarettes, Christopher Snowdon, Head of Lifestyle Economics at the free market Institute of Economic Affairs, said:

“A ban on disposable vapes will restrict the choices of millions of adult smokers who could benefit from switching to them.

“E-cigarettes are life saving products that can only legally be sold to people over the age of 18. We do not ban cider because some teenagers drink it. We do not ban 18 certificate films because some teenagers watch them. We don’t ban cigarettes because some teenagers smoke them.

“If these reports are true, the government has mistaken legislating for governing. The answer to underage vaping is to enforce the laws that already exist. There is no reason why children should be able to buy e-cigarettes more easily than they can buy vodka.”

ENDS

IBVTA Response

The IBVTA (Independent British Vape Trade Association) have published a Press Release which I will quote below…

IBVTA

Press Release

IBVTA statement on calls to ban single use vapes

Independent British Vape Trade Association Chairman, Marcus Saxton, said: “The concerns about young people accessing vapes from retailers who break the law are valid. There is a suite of existing regulations that should be properly enforced with greater funding to those agencies, and it is difficult to envisage how a complete ban would be workable.

Alternative refillable and rechargeable products are available, and we need to see greater uptake of the recycling facilities available on every high street. But we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that for adults, single use vapes are important to the initial quit journey away from smoking due to their ease of use. The government have targets to be smoke free by 2030, and it’s difficult to see how banning a whole category supports that.”

Ends.

NNA Response

The NNA (New Nicotine Alliance) have responded and I will post that response below…nna logo white

“The government would be making a grave mistake if it decides to ban disposable vapes as it would be a significant over-reaction to the exaggerated perception of harms to youth .

Public health organisations such as Action on Smoking and Health, Fresh Balance and NCSCT are opposed to a ban, and for good reason. The convenience and wide choice of flavours are useful for helping smokers to switch to a safer product, especially amongst heavier smokers and disadvantaged and vulnerable groups. Disposable vapes don’t require refilling and recharging, so are easier to use. People who have problems with dexterity find them very useful and their low cost and convenience helps to prevent relapse to smoking.

Industry estimates that over 50% of single use vapes in circulation are already illegal, so banning the regulated market does not make sense. Illicit sellers would continue to import and supply unregulated and potentially unsafe nicotine vaping products to adults and young people, but with increased competitive advantage in the absence of regulated products.

There are justified concerns about youth vaping, but surveys suggest that most youth vaping is experimental or amongst adolescents who were already smoking. Much is made of the range of flavours but it is important to recognise that fruit, dessert and candy flavours are the most popular category among adult vapers, with more than half of all vapers choosing them. It is clear that single use vape devices are popular among young people. But it seems to have been forgotten that 25 years ago the same demographic would have been initiating their nicotine use from smoking instead of vaping.

Furthermore, banning these products would equate vaping with smoking in the minds of many people. This will deter many smokers from switching to a far safer alternative and some former smokers who currently vape will return to smoking.”

WVA Response

The WVA (World Vapers’ Alliance) have responded to the news…

wva press release

Press Release

Ban on Disposable Vapes Contradicts UK’s Successful Harm Reduction Policy

[London, 14 September 2023] — In light of recent discussions surrounding a potential ban on flavoured disposable vapes in the UK, the World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA) urges policymakers to consider the far-reaching consequences this move would have on public health and harm reduction. Such a ban contradicts the UK’s existing and successful harm reduction approach.

Michael Landl, the Director of the WVA, states, “Prohibition doesn’t work. It never has, and it never will. A ban on disposable vapes will not eliminate the demand but shift it from regulated markets to the black market, creating negative, unintended public health consequences.”

The ban on disposable vapes is counterproductive to harm reduction, says World Vapers’ Alliance. “Disposable vapes can act as a crucial stepping stone for smokers looking to quit,” comments Landl. “They offer an easy entry point, and many consumers eventually transition to open systems. Making that path from smoking to vaping as frictionless as possible is essential for public health. While cigarettes, known to be extremely harmful, remain readily available, banning a 95% less harmful alternative defies logic.”

Though there are concerns about disposable vapes’ environmental impact and attractiveness to young people, these issues can be addressed through smart regulation rather than an outright ban. “If disposables are banned, we won’t find solutions to these problems. Instead, we’ll leave them to the illicit market,” warns Landl.

The UK has recently widely acknowledged vaping as a smoking cessation tool through its “Swap-to-Stop” program, committed to further reducing smoking rates. According to the Office for National Statistics, UK smoking rates have fallen by more than 29% in the last decade (when vaping became popular). Compared to the EU, smoking rates in the UK have fallen twice as fast. This proposed ban threatens to undermine those gains and puts the UK at odds with its own best practices.

Landl adds, “Countries with an open harm reduction approach, like Sweden, which recently reduced taxes on snus, have successfully reduced smoking rates. The UK should not regress by adopting policies that have proven to be ineffective.”

ENDS

What Next

Well there is nothing on the Department of Health and Social Care website at present. So it might be a case of “wait and see” as nothing concrete appears to be in place.

We will keep you updated!

Plus I will add any more responses from the vaping industry as they are published.

As you can imagine there has been a lot of discussion on this topic – so I have picked a few to share with you below…

Shell Ecigclick Photo
Michelle Jones

I am an engineer and Technical Author by trade. My journey in vaping began around 2016, in the days of Tornado tanks, Ego batteries and Variable Voltage. It took me a few years to fully quit smoking but I finally stopped in June 2019 and that is all thanks to vaping! 20mg Nicotine Salts are my hero! Oh and I am partial to a nice pod mod and Bubblegum e-liquid! I have reported on the latest news on Ecigclick since 2017 and love being part of this great team! My passion for Tobacco Harm Reduction has also led me to becoming a Trustee for the NNA (New Nicotine Alliance) aiding in Advocacy

Michelle Jones
https://nnalliance.org/nna-uk/board
I am an engineer and Technical Author by trade. My journey in vaping began around 2016, in the days of Tornado tanks, Ego batteries and Variable Voltage. It took me a few years to fully quit smoking but I finally stopped in June 2019 and that is all thanks to vaping! 20mg Nicotine Salts are my hero! Oh and I am partial to a nice pod mod and Bubblegum e-liquid! I have reported on the latest news on Ecigclick since 2017 and love being part of this great team! My passion for Tobacco Harm Reduction has also led me to becoming a Trustee for the NNA (New Nicotine Alliance) aiding in Advocacy
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