The disposable vapes ban is doomed to failure on multiple levels, at least according to campaign group We Vape.
It says it’s certain the new measures in place to enforce it are hugely inadequate - pointing out just 80 trainee Trading Standards officers have been employed to police every retailer in the country, with just £10m of funding set aside for this.
The funds are less than a third of what analysts said was required to enforce the new laws for just one year, and will cover only one extra enforcement officer per authority in England.
Trading Standards will rely on “intelligence-led” enforcement, and also have to depend on the public to report rogue traders, rather than having officer on the streets - a similar approach to intelligence-led policing, where forces have been criticised for reacting to crime rather than preventing it.
We Vape adds that at present, no one under 18 is allowed to buy vapes, but many have still been able to, either online or through rogue traders. It adds that the former won’t be policed under the ban and the latter don’t care about the law. Therefore, the real danger is that the ban will drive young people toward unsafe, unregulated black market products instead, while having no impact on underage vaping numbers at all.
The the latest National Trading Standards figures from November 2024 reveal authorities confiscated 1.2 million illegal vapes in 2023-2024, a 59% increase on the previous year. When disposables are banned, the demand - and black market - will surge even further, We Vape stress.
Mark Oates (left), We Vape founder, said: “The disposables ban will expose poorly considered policy. It’s unlikely we’ll see a reduction in children vaping because they can buy disposables online very easily, as they always have done. Any environmental concerns around disposables could have been solved with a deposit return scheme, which doesn’t require costly enforcement.
“There will be an explosion in the black market that will be impossible to contain.”
“Now, there will be an explosion in the black market that will be impossible to contain, as we know Trading Standards is woefully understaffed and funded for this task. There is also a very real danger gangs will turn violent as they fight to establish turf in cities and towns up and down the country, which will put extra strain on the resources of regional police, just as we have seen in Australia.
“Banning one of the most popular methods smokers use to switch is not going to help. Vaping saves lives and a public awareness campaign alongside this short-sighted ban is desperately needed or we will start to see more people smoking, a clear path to terrible health outcomes and often death.”
Adding his voice to the growing chorus of voices suspicious of the disposable vapes ban, Conservative MP Jack Rankin (right), said: “I share the serious concerns raised by Trading Standards authorities across the UK about the practical challenges of enforcing the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. Without proper resources and clarity in implementation, it’s becoming increasingly clear this is just bad legislation.”
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