BRITAIN TAKES STEPS TO CLAMP DOWN ON VAPE PRODUCTS TARGETED AT TEENS

Tue 30 May 2023:

In an effort to crack down on e-cigarettes, whose vibrant looks and delicious flavors make them stick out on grocery store shelves, the British government announced on Tuesday that it would shut a loophole that allows stores to distribute free samples of vapes to youngsters.

In recent months, the clamour of calls from campaigners for tighter rules around the advertising and packaging of vapes has been growing louder. They argue that these should mirror tobacco, including plain packaging, health warnings and behind the counter display, while enforcement should be toughened to crack down on shops selling to under-18s.

“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,” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in the statement released by the health department, referring to a BBC report last week.

“The marketing and the illegal sales of vapes to children is completely unacceptable.”

The statement highlighted a 2023 poll of 11–17-year-olds conducted by the public health organization Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), in which 2 out of 5 young people claimed to vape solely for the purpose of trying it, while 1 in 5 claimed to do so as a result of peer pressure.

The problem is not exclusive to Britain, where it is forbidden to sell vapes to anybody under the age of 18. According to a survey, 2.55 million middle and high school kids in the United States admitted to using e-cigarettes in the early months of 2022, which health officials deemed to be “concerning.”

Vaping involves inhaling nicotine in a vapour rather than smoke, removing the two most harmful elements of smoking, burning tobacco and producing tar or carbon monoxide, which makes it a good tool for weaning smokers off cigarettes.

“We should continue to encourage smokers to swap to vaping as the lesser risk, whilst preventing the marketing and sale of vapes to children,” England’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty said in the statement.

In order to make it easier for local authorities to issue on-the-spot fines and fixed penalty letters, the government also announced that it would revise the regulations governing the issuance of fines to retailers that sell vapes to minors.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

______________________________________________________________

FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:

TWITTER (CLICK HERE)
https://twitter.com/IpIndependent