The disposable vapes ban could push 200,000 people back to smoking when it comes into effect next month, a report warns.
The law is aimed at protecting the environment and tackling a surge in youth vaping rates, which have soared from 0.8 per cent in 2013 to 7.2 per cent last year.
But the Future Health Research Centre says the move risks undermining the Government’s progress towards a ‘smokefree’ Britain if vapers are not supported to maintain their ‘quit journey’ and switch back to smoking.
An estimated 5 million single use vapes, which are available to buy at pocket money prices, are thrown away in the UK every week.
The research report ‘Endgame: managing the disposable vapes ban and the journey to a smokefree future’ contains new polling showing 45 per cent of vapers ‘always’, ‘often’ or ‘sometimes’ use a disposable device.
The highest rates of disposable vape use are among those aged 18 to 24, the survey of 4,393 British adults reveals.
As a result of the ban, 12 per cent of users say they will switch from vaping to smoking.
Some 54 per cent plan to switch to another vape, 15 per cent intend to stop vaping altogether, and 9 per cent will try traditional nicotine replacement therapies, such as patches or gum.
The disposable vapes ban could push 200,000 people back to smoking when it comes into effect next month, a report warns
Modelling scenarios based on the findings indicate the disposable vapes ban will see between 175,000 and 378,000 people stopping vaping, and between 630,000 and 1.36 million people switching to another vaping product.
But the smoking rate could increase by between 90,000 and 200,000, adding 0.2 per cent to 0.4 per cent to the overall population smoking rate.
Richard Sloggett, the report’s author and a former government advisor, said: ‘The Government has committed welcome and strong action to reduce smoking and tackle youth vaping.
‘However these findings show that urgent work is needed to ensure that efforts to reduce youth vaping do not have the unintended consequence of increasing the numbers smoking – particularly amongst younger people.
‘The ban also feels like being a missed opportunity, with hundreds of thousands of people soon to be looking for alternatives to disposable vapes but over half saying they will simply switch to another product.
‘With the ban looming, the Government now needs to get on the front foot, commit to a national mass media anti-smoking campaign and set out more clearly how it will use its forthcoming regulatory powers through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill to help ensure that those using disposable vapes do not turn to smoking instead.’
The report, commissioned by Kenvue, the makers of Nicolette, calls for the Government to use new regulatory powers to limit vape branding, packaging and displays and restrict the of flavour descriptions on the products.
It also calls for new targets to monitor and prioritise reductions in youth vaping rates and to re-commit funding to a national mass media anti-smoking campaign.
Steve Brine, a former public health minister and previous chair of the Commons Health and Social Care Committee, who has contributed a foreword to the report, said: ‘Smoking remains the single leading preventable cause of illness and mortality in the UK.
‘The disposable vapes ban and the Government’s wider action in tackling smoking present a massive step in the right direction for England in achieving the original smokefree ambition.
‘But we are not there yet and as this research from Future Health shows, any complacency will have serious ramifications.
‘The Government needs to make sure that those using disposable vapes are aware of the ban, the alternatives to switch to following its introduction and the dangers of taking up or returning to smoking.’
