The RCP has responded to new legislation laid out in parliament committing to banning single-use vapes by June 2025.
Commenting on the new legislation, Professor Sanjay Agrawal, Royal College of Physicians special adviser on tobacco, said:
“We welcome the introduction of legislation to ban single-use vapes, the products most used by children and young people. E-cigarettes play an important role in helping adults to quit smoking but there has been a significant and concerning rise in youth vaping - in 2024 18% of 11–18-year-olds said that they had tried vaping.
“As our report on e-cigarettes set out earlier this year, single-use vapes continue to present significant environmental and safety hazards, and the recycling of these products has been widely neglected. This legislation will go a long way to limit the damage these products have had on our environment.
“It will be key to monitor any unintended consequences around banning single-use vapes and Government must keep a watchful eye on industry to ensure that it does not use loopholes to skirt the definition of disposable.
“There is more that must be done to tackle the availability and appeal of vapes to young people, as well as the harms of tobacco, so we urge government to bring forward the Tobacco and Vapes Bill as quickly as possible.”