Read articles from United Kingdom

October 12, 2023 by ft.com

The UK has launched a consultation into restricting the sale of vapes, as both major political parties support imposing much harsher rules on the sale of enticing disposable e-cigarettes that have soared in popularity among children. Health secretary Steve Barclay said on Thursday the government was planning to “clamp down” on the sale of disposable vapes, particularly focusing on the “way they’re being marketed to kids, presenting them like sweets”. He noted, however, that the government wanted to “get the balance right”, acknowledging that vaping can be helpful for adults who are trying to reduce or quit smoking.

October 12, 2023 by filtermag.org

Rishi Sunak, prime minister of the United Kingdom, wants to increase the age at which people can buy tobacco and cigarettes by one year, every year—from the current minimum of 18, to the point where sales are effectively prohibited altogether. If passed, the proposed law will take effect in 2027. It will mean that anyone born on or after January 1, 2009—those who are currently under 15—will never be able to buy cigarettes legally in England.

October 11, 2023 by bbc.com

The first minister said he was "attracted" to Australia's policy of restricting the sale of vapes to pharmacies. He has backed UK government plans that could see a ban on disposable vapes. Medical experts had "significant differences" of opinion over whether they helped people quit tobacco, he added. Mr Drakeford said: "In Australia for example the only way you can get an e-cigarette is by prescription. You can't buy them in shops. "Only through a medical prescription as part of a supervised attempt to give up smoking are they available. "And do you know, I would be attracted to that idea myself."

October 11, 2023 by filtermag.org

Tobacco harm reduction directly saves lives. But by reducing smoking-related diseases, it also has the potential to free up precious health care resources for reallocation to other pressing concerns. What kind of scale are we talking about? That’s where an economist could help us. Francesco Moscone is a professor of business economics at Brunel University in the United Kingdom, and professor of public finance at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Italy. His latest study, published in the British Journal of Healthcare Management, investigates the savings the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) could make if more people switch from smoking to safer nicotine options like vapes.

October 10, 2023 by thesun.co.uk

The World Health Organisation will call for COP10 countries to clamp down harder or even ban e-cigarettes, which it calls “harmful to health and not safe”. But England this year launched the world’s first government scheme to offer free vapes to smokers to help them kick the killer habit. Now the UK delegation will reject policies that jeopardise our revolutionary programme – instead offering advice to nations that want to follow our lead. Tory MP Craig Whittaker said: “It is essential that at COP10 we stand up for our record and policies as a world leader on tobacco harm reduction.

October 05, 2023 by independent.co.uk

Stopping the nation from smoking has long been a top priority for medical experts, families and governments, and PM Rishi Sunak has made his plans for the issues clear. At the 2023 Conservative Party Conference, Sunak said that the legal age for buying tobacco should rise every year from those born in 2009 in a bid to “try and stop teenagers taking up cigarettes in the first place”. He said: “A 14-year-old today will never legally be sold a cigarette” under new legislation he is proposing for England.

October 04, 2023 by capx.co

The Government’s rumoured plan to ban disposable vapes under the guise of protecting children is nothing short of a spectacular misstep. Let’s be clear: the imperative of safeguarding our children from harm is understandable. However, the decision to ban disposable vapes is a classic example of heavy-handed, knee-jerk regulation that threatens to ignite a new black market right under the government’s nose. Much like the ban on vaping products in Australia, which only served to create a thriving underground market, the UK’s ban is destined for the same disastrous outcome.

October 04, 2023 by filtermag.org

A prominent British physician has sparked controversy by blaming the country’s message that vapes are “95 percent safer” than cigarettes for youth vaping. Interviewed by the BBC, Dr. Mike McKean, vice-president for policy at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said that communicating this was “a very unwise thing to have done and it’s opened the door to significant chaos.” “There are many young people who have taken up vaping who never intended to smoke and are now likely addicted to vaping,” said McKean. “And I think it’s absolutely shocking that we’ve allowed this to happen.”

October 04, 2023 by bathecho.co.uk

The Local Government Association raised concerns about the health and environmental impact of disposable vapes in the summer and called for a ban. Disposable vapes contain a lithium battery which can catch fire if not disposed of properly. Locally, Bath and North East Somerset councillor Ruth Malloy led the calls for a local ban on disposable vapes, warning a full council meeting on 20th July: “Although e-cigarettes were originally developed as an aid to help smokers break the habit, the trend now seems to be that young people and even children are starting to vape without ever having smoked cigarettes.”

October 02, 2023 by ash.org.uk

ASH Deputy Chief Executive Hazel Cheeseman joins BBC Radio 5 Live to discuss the risk of vaping compared to smoking and what needs to be done to reduce youth vaping.