Government vape ban could push people to back to smoking

Plans to ban all single-use vaping products in the UK from June 1, 2025, was announced today, putting pressure on vaping and e-cigarette businesses across the country.

Chris Edwards, sales manager of Connect 2 Vapes on Broad Street, Worcester, said: "The ban means we will be having to put more effort to keep the business open and hopefully the customers that were using disposables do not go back to smoking.

"Vaping was supposed to be the healthier and cheaper alternative to smoking, but it just gets villainised by the government."

The ban on disposables was first suggested by the previous Conservative Government in January.

One reason behind the decision to ban the vapes was due to their effect on the environment.

Mary Creagh, circular economy minister, said vapes were "extremely wasteful and blight our towns and cities."

She added: "We are banning single-use vapes as we end this nation's throwaway culture.

"This is the first step on the road to a circular economy, where we use resources for longer and reduce waste."

Mr Edwards said: "I agree that they have an impact on environmental harm, because you see so many around the streets on the floor.

"We have a dedicated disposable battery bin that we dispose of carefully and correctly which the public are welcome to use.

"Unfortunately, the people that have no respect for the streets of our city let us down on that."

The disposable vapes are also seen as appealing to children given their low cost and colourful flavours and packaging.

Andrew Gwynne, health minister, said: "It is deeply worrying that a quarter of 11 to 15 year olds used a vape last year and we know disposables are the product of choice for the majority of kids vaping today.

"Banning disposable vapes will not only protect the environment, but importantly reduce the appeal of vapes to children and keep them out of the hands of vulnerable young people."

Single-use vapes containing more than two millilitres of liquid, or 600 puffs, are already illegal in the UK, something that Mr Edwards believes the government has got wrong.

He said: "The government has handled the ban of disposables very poorly.

"With cigarettes, they banned the smaller packs so the underage couldn't afford them and kept the larger and more expensive packs on the shelves, which I agree with."

A pack of 20 cigarettes, the smallest size available, costs between £10 and £14 in the UK, whereas a disposable vape can cost less than half the price in supermarkets.

Mr Edwards added: "They have done the complete opposite when it came to disposable vapes by keeping the cheap disposables available for so long while banning the more expensive larger ones first.

"They have missed a chance to regulate and control a growing industry and have instead opted to destroy it."