UK doctors urge govt to act over ‘vaping epidemic’

LONDON: Leading UK doctors urged the government on Wednesday to pass legislation to tackle “a vaping epidemic”, in particular among young people, by banning disposable e-cigarettes and all flavours apart from tobacco.

The call came alongside the publication of a British Medical Association (BMA) report which it said was a “blueprint” for the “bold actions needed”.

The previous Conservative government unveiled plans earlier this year to eventually phase out smoking, alongside banning disposable e-cigarettes and restricting their flavours and packaging.

The new Labour administration -- which swept to power early last month -- has revived the draft legislation but is yet to detail its exact approach.

The BMA report noted that vape use among children and young people has increased almost six-fold in the last decade.

It implored the government not to “shy away from taking brave action” in order to “stem the trend”.

“There is no denying we are living in a vaping epidemic,” Professor David Strain, chair of the BMA´s board of science, said in comments accompanying the report´s release.

He noted one in 10 ten adults now vape, while calling the six-fold increase in those aged between 11 and 17 who now vape “far more worrying”. “As a doctor, I understand the role vapes can play in helping people to stop smoking, but they have no rightful place in our children and young people´s lives,” Strain added.

“An industry so obviously targeting children with colours, flavours and branding, to push a product that can lead to nicotine addiction and potential further harms cannot be allowed to happen any longer.” The report recommends banning all disposable vape and non-tobacco flavour sales, as well as using imagery, colouring and branding on packaging and devices.