(RepublicanView.org) – The UK is looking to ban disposable vapes to prevent children from becoming addicted to nicotine. The small plastic objects are smoked like cigarettes and contain nicotine but are marketed with bright colors and flavors such as candy cane and bubble gum. According to ABC News, officials say the number of people under 18 to take up vaping in the UK has tripled since 2021. The outlet reported that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said, “We still don’t understand the full long-term health impacts of vaping.” So, he reasoned, cracking down on the products is the right call.
Sunak added that around 9% of young British children aged just 11 to 15 are now vaping, and he plans to introduce new powers to ensure that manufacturers use plain packaging and retail outlets keep the devices out of sight and reach of children and teenagers.
The debate around such a ban has caused some campaigners to urge caution, saying many adults use vaping as a method of weaning themselves off cigarettes. According to The Guardian, Jamie Brown, director of the tobacco and alcohol research group at University College London who conducted a study on the use of disposable e-cigarettes, argued a ban could prevent adults from using them in their efforts to stop smoking.
Doctors have warned that despite the widespread belief that cigarette smoking causes more damage than vaping, too little is known about the latter, to be certain. The American Heart Association (AHA) says there is mounting evidence that vaping also presents significant dangers. Cigarettes contain around 7,000 chemicals, of which approximately 70 are implicated in cancer development. Vaping also delivers dangerous chemicals to body tissue, including several that are believed to cause cancer, the AHA states.
Some US states have legislated on vaping, with Michigan the first in 2019. Governor Gretchen Whitmer introduced limits on the sale of any flavor except tobacco. Only a short time afterward, New York implemented a statewide ban on most flavored vaping products, quickly followed by Massachusetts.
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