The UK government is investing £3 million to reduce the illegal sale of e-cigarettes to minors. This follows the Health Minister Neil O'Brien's finding that more and more young people are getting their hands on disposable vapes, despite clear age limits.
"We will set up a special unit, which will control, identify and act against illegal sales both in physical stores and online on a national level", says Neil O'Brien.
The share of under-18s using e-cigarettes in the UK is increasing for the first time since 2018. From 6% to 9%. Of the young people who reported using e-cigarettes, 52% had used disposable vapes, popular models that are meant to be thrown away when used up. Sales of disposable models have increased overall in all countries. Larger companies, such as the Chinese Elf Bar and British American Tobacco (Vuse Go), have launched their products on a large scale. Disposable vapes are now available outside traditional vejp shops, which has led to a gray market where many smaller convenience stores do not comply with the law.
"Those shops whose business is based on getting young people addicted to nicotine should know that we are targeting them. We intend to close down all such businesses" says the UK Health Secretary Neil O'Brien at a press conference.
Smoking has decreased
At the same time, he stresses the importance of protecting the legal sale of e-cigarettes. The UK government is actively encouraging smokers to switch their nicotine source from cigarettes to e-cigarettes. In 10 years, smoking has fallen from 20 to 13 percent among the population.
"E-cigarettes contribute to between 50,000 and 70,000 fewer smokers annually in England. We need to make even better use of that" says Neil O'Brien.
Compare with medicines
According to Neil O'Brien, it is therefore important that regulated e-cigarettes are openly available.
"Using vejpa is significantly less harmful than smoking. We also see clear evidence that e-cigarettes are an effective smoking cessation tool, better than nicotine gum and patches, without being more harmful. This is particularly true when used in combination with counseling and behavioral support" says Neil O'Brien.
Stopping illegal sales
As part of the effort to reduce illegal sales, the government is also inviting businesses and the public to take part in an open consultation on vejpning. The aim is to find out how young people get hold of the products and how the authorities can act to prevent an increase in uptake.
"We will first make sure that the rules already in place are followed and work." Says Neil O'Brien. "At the same time, we want to work with companies to make sure that young people can't access the products and that the products that are on the market are segregated and controlled according to the standards we have today."
Health Minister Neil O'Brien - Press conference (video):
