Sale of disposable vapes to be banned in the UK from June 2025 under new government plans
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New legislation will see single-use vapes pulled from shelves by June 1, 2025, with plans for the timeline laid out in Parliament. According to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), businesses will have until this deadline to “sell any remaining stock they hold and prepare for the ban coming into force” Devolved nations will also follow the same timeline, with the government working to “align coming into force dates”. The government plans come amid fears that the bright packaging and novelty flavours, such as bubblegum and strawberry, are appealing to kids.
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Hide AdWhile tobacco products are only permitted to be sold to over 18s, children have still been able to get their hands on disposable vapes. Health Minister Andrew Gwynne said: “It’s 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.”
It comes as the government looks set to crack down on not only the easy accessibility of the tobacco products to children, but the environmental damage of the disposable e-cigarettes. Circular Economy Minister Mary Creagh labelled single-use vapes as “extremely wasteful” and said they “blight our towns and cities”.
She added: “That is why 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, reduce waste, accelerate the path to net-zero and create thousands of jobs across the country.”
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Hide AdThe Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which was tabled during the last parliament, gained cross-party backing after proposing to raise the legal age at which tobacco products can be bought each year, meaning that anyone born after January 1, 2009 will never be able to legally smoke. Mr Gwynne added: “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.
“The government will also introduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill – the biggest public health intervention in a generation – which will protect young people from becoming hooked on nicotine and pave the way for a smoke-free UK.” Heath Secretary Wes Streeting said that the government has plans to introduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill “before Christmas”.
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