Shop owners welcome disposable vape ban

A vape shop owner says the long-term impact of the new disposable vape ban will be seen in years to come.

The ban on the sale of single-use disposable vapes was introduced on Sunday, aimed at protecting children's health and the environment.

Matt King, from Vapers Online in Street, Somerset, said he welcomes the ban and told the BBC he believes it has already started to make an impact.

"You're not seeing as many batteries on the street," he said. "In a year or so you're definitely going to see a big impact."

The new ban means that shops and supermarkets will no longer be able to sell disposable vapes but they can sell rechargeable or refillable devices.

While it is illegal to sell vapes to anyone under 18, disposable vapes, often sold in smaller, more colourful packaging have been cited as an important factor in the rise of youth vaping.

Currently one in seven 18 to 24-year-olds vape but have never smoked.

Mr King, who has worked in the vaping industry for around 20 years, said young people may be more likely to take up smoking due to the "smoother" experience vaping provides, compared to smoking.

However, he said he does not believe the colourful packaging is what has caused many young people to take up vaping.

"There's plenty of flashy packaging all over the place," he said.

"We see it in our supermarkets with alcohol, with everything."

Tara, who works in a Bristol vape shop, said: "When they first came out on the market, I felt like they were aimed at young children.

"All too often, I've seen young children with them, and trying to come into the shop to buy them as well.

"I actually had a parent come in here and ask for a box of disposable vapes for his child to take to school and sell. I've got kids of my own [and I thought] that's just disgusting."

Ministers predict the ban will have a significant impact but health experts say further regulation is needed to tackle youth vaping.

Dr Jasmine Khouja, from the University of Bristol's tobacco and alcohol research group, has been looking at the impact the ban will have.

She said that there are concerns that some young people will buy illicit vapes instead, which are more likely to contain dangerous metals and chemicals.

Ms Khouja said their research also shows that some people are likely to take up smoking again.

"They feel that smoking is more disgusting, [therefore] it's harder to get to enjoy than vapes.

"Because of that reason, they feel it will be easier to quit smoking than vaping and we know from history, that is really not true."

However, she said the ban will be a "big win" for the environment.

"Around eight million vapes were thrown away last year. That led to about the same amount of lithium that you could power 10,000 cars."

Siobhan Farmer, Gloucestershire's director of public health, said vaping has been an important tool for people trying to quit cigarettes.

But she said it is only useful for adults quitting smoking, as vapes do not have the harmful chemicals associated with burning tobacco.

"If you're not a smoker, or you're a child and you take up vaping, we can't guarantee that those products are going to be safe.

"We haven't had vapes on the market long enough to understand what the long-term impacts to our lungs and particularly developing brains," she explained.

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