In a week’s time, it will be illegal to sell disposable vapes in Britain. Politicians from both parties will pat themselves on the back. The ban was introduced by Rishi Sunak and backed by Keir Starmer, and was hailed as a moment of non-partisan unity. In truth, it’s a policy disaster.
I used to smoke ten to fifteen cigarettes a day. Disposable vapes ended this habit. I haven’t bought, or been tempted, to buy tobacco for three years since quitting. Even when offered a cigarette free, it feels dirty; friends no longer bother asking if I fancy one.
But in January last year, Sunak said there had been a ‘major spike’ in youth vaping. He claimed that the number of children vaping in the past three years had tripled. Not so. The UCL study he cited focused on 18 to 24-year-olds – these are adults, not children.
The honest – and less dramatic – trend in underage vaping was closer to, but still short of, a twofold increase, from 11.2
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