Vape ban bill proposed to protect children’s health

Sleaford and North Hykenham MP is set to introduce a bill into Parliament on Wednesday that will aim to prohibit the sale of disposable e-cigarettes and vapes.

Dr Caroline Johnson, MP for the Sleaford and North Hykenham constituency wants to introduce the Bill after an NHS survey – conducted in 2021 and published last year – found almost one in five of fifteen-year-olds considered themselves e-cigarette users, despite the products being illegal to sell to under 18s.  

Dr Johnson, an NHS children’s Doctor and member of Parliament’s Health and Social Care Select committee, is due to highlight the positive impact a potential ban on disposable vapes and e-cigarettes would have on the country as part of her Ten Minute Rule Bill – a type of Private Members Bill that are introduced in the House of Commons.

Dr Johnson said: ‘The government is committed to achieving a smoke-free generation by 2030.

‘Reusable e-cigarettes and vapes remain an important aid to quitting smoking, but I fear that their colourful, child friendly flavoured, disposable counterparts are luring non-smokers into a life of addiction, which risks creating a new generation of nicotine addicts.

‘I look forward to presenting my bill to Parliament soon and to highlighting the effects disposable e-cigarettes and vapes are having on our nation’s health and natural environment.’

According to NHS Digital, the number of British children being hospitalised by vaping has quadrupled in a year – 32 instances of under-18s needing medical treatment for e-cigarette related instances were recorded in 2022.

The figures obtained came from Freedom of Information Requests by LBC, a leading talk radio organisation for the UK, and shows that 15 of the incidents were in children aged under 10 and, among all age groups, vaping related hospital admissions almost doubled, hitting 344 last year.

None of the treatments children received were shared through the FOI however, it is speculated they could have included respiratory problems such as, shortness of breath, chest pain, lung inflammation and in severe cases, respiratory failure.

Professor Andrew Bush, an expert in paediatric respirology at Imperial College London, told LBC: ‘The more people who take things up the more complications you’ll see.

‘I am worried about these figures going up, especially among young people. I hope it’ll slow down but I doubt it will without action from regulators – we are completely out of step with the rest of the world on that front, where e-cigarettes are concerned’.

Photo by FORMM agency