UK to ban disposable vapes from next year

Britain will ban single-use vapes from next year, a government minister said on Thursday, seeking to crack down on the environmental harm and rising usage levels among children.

Health authorities have raised concerns about the use of vapes among young adults, with their colourful designs and fruity flavours making them stand out on grocery store shelves. According to a 2024 survey by health charity ASH, about one in five children aged 11-17 said they had tried vaping.

It is illegal to sell nicotine-containing e-cigarettes to anyone under the age of 18 or for adults to buy them on behalf of under-18s.

The plan to ban disposable vapes was initially set out by the previous Conservative government in January but was not implemented before the July election, which was won by the Labour Party.

Labour's culture minister said that the number of children vaping had tripled in the last three years, and that disposable vapes were causing a lot of problems for the environment.

"We have been increasingly concerned," she told Sky News.

"We hope (this) will help to break this cycle where children are getting into the habit of vaping at younger and younger ages."

The government's Department For Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) did not immediately respond to a Reuters' request for details on the measure. Media reports said the ban was due to come into force in June.

A separate study by ASH this year said vapes were the most popular aid to quitting among tobacco smokers, with nearly 3 million people in Britain having quit smoking with a vape in the last 5 years.