Smoking in United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, smoking is allowed but tobacco products are subject to certain regulations. Under these regulations, there is a complete ban on all forms of tobacco advertising. Cigarettes can be purchased online, but not through vending machines. The importation of cigarettes for trade is allowed with an import license. Additionally, health warnings on cigarette packaging are required, and the minimum legal age for purchase is 18 years. Legal restrictions on smoking in public places are also enforced. Cigarettes in the UK are subject to an excise tax of 50.56% and a total taxation rate of 83.72%. Statistics show a gradual decline in the current smoking prevalence in the UK since 2000. There were approximately 6.7 million current adult smokers in the country in 2024, representing an adult current smoking prevalence of 11.8%. This was 13.1% in 2022, and 27.1% in 2000. Smoking prevalence was higher among males with 13.6% than among females with 10.1% in 2024. Daily smoking prevalence among adults was 9.1% overall, 8.1% among females, and 10.2% among males in 2024. In 2021, smoking led to 75,848 deaths in the UK, of which 44,400 deaths were among males and 31,448 deaths were among females. This shows that smoking consisted 11.05% of all deaths in the country, including 12.6% of all male deaths and 9.42% of all female deaths.
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October 04, 2023 by bathecho.co.uk
Call for ban on disposable vapes rejected by public health board
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 Exec Hazel Cheeseman discuss vaping on BBC Radio 5 Live
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.
October 02, 2023 by telegraph.co.uk
Disposable vapes ban ‘will hamper efforts to cut cigarette smoking’
Efforts to cut cigarette smoking will be hampered by a ban on disposal vapes that is expected to be announced imminently, the Government has been warned. The vaping industry is braced for an announcement at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester that single-use vapes will be outlawed as part of a drive to stop children from becoming addicted to the devices. In May, Rishi Sunak voiced concerns concerns that products were being marketed at young children using bright colours and novelty flavours.
September 27, 2023 by bbc.com
Vapes '95% safer' than cigarettes messaging backfired
The message that vaping is 95% safer than smoking has backfired, encouraging some children to vape, says a top health expert. Dr Mike McKean treats children with lung conditions and is vice-president for policy at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. He says the 2015 public messaging should have been clearer - vapes are only for adults addicted to cigarettes. Evidence on the possible health risks of vaping is still being gathered.
September 22, 2023 by thetimes.co.uk
Vaping is not a gateway to smoking, study shows
Vaping does not act as a gateway into smoking, the most comprehensive study carried out suggests. Researchers at Queen Mary University of London said there was “tentative” evidence that products such as e-cigarettes might be speeding up the demise of smoking. Professor Peter Hajek, director of the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine’s Tobacco Dependence Research Unit at Queen Mary University of London, said: “The results of this study alleviate the concern that access to e-cigarettes and other low-risk nicotine products promote smoking.
September 21, 2023 by www.gov.uk
95% of ex-smokers see positive changes soon after quitting
A new nationwide survey released [...] ahead of Stoptober shows nearly all (95%) ex-smokers see positive changes in their life as early as 2 weeks after quitting. Stoptober’s mass quit attempt will launch on 1 October, calling on smokers in England to join the thousands of others committing to quit. While smoking rates are declining, over 5 million adults in England still smoke and smoking remains the single biggest cause of preventable illness and death in the country - linked to 64,000 deaths a year.
September 19, 2023 by inews.co.uk
Disposable vapes could still be available to smokers through NHS scheme despite Government ban
Disposable vapes could still be given to smokers to help them quit cigarettes, despite the Government drawing up plans to ban them, i understands. Ministers are understood to be finalising plans to ban single-use vapes amid concerns they have sparked an epidemic of youth vaping across Britain, with a decision set to come as early as next week. However, health department sources suggested that disposable vapes could be still available to smokers under NHS “swap to stop” schemes, despite any potential ban.
September 15, 2023 by telegraph.co.uk
This vaping ban is our trivial, mindless elite at its worst
Vapes, unlike patches and nicotine gum, work particularly well for many would-be quitters because they go with the grain of human behaviour rather than demanding a hair-shirt approach. They mimic the physical activity of smoking while carrying a fraction of the risk (vapes do not burn tobacco, or produce tar or carbon monoxide). Disposable vapes offer the same convenience as cigarettes. You can buy one on the move, with no worries about refilling or charging your device. The Government’s imminent ban on disposable e-cigarettes may seem trivial, but it’s a vivid example of making the perfect the enemy of the good. [...]
September 15, 2023 by thetimes.co.uk
Ban on disposable vapes and flavourings aimed at children
Disposable vapes and those with flavours designed to appeal to children face being banned under a government crackdown due within weeks. Rishi Sunak is understood to be putting the finishing touches to a package designed to restrict teenagers’ access to highly addictive products, which could be published as soon as next week. The prime minister has taken a keen interest in the issue after criticising the “ridiculous” marketing of vapes designed to appeal to children. Ministers have also been working for months on a series of measures.
September 14, 2023 by theguardian.com
Ban on single-use vapes in UK may ‘flood market with illegal products’
Leading doctors and councils have welcomed reports that ministers are preparing to ban single-use vapes in the UK, but others have expressed fears a ban could lead to a “flood” of illegal products on the market. The reports of plans to stop the sale of disposable e-cigarettes come as fears grow about their environment impact and the health risks they pose to the large number of teenagers taking up vaping. An announcement from the government is expected soon after it concluded that single-use vapes are aimed at children.