Should vaping have same restrictions as tobacco?

Public Health Wales is calling for vapes to be stored behind the counter and not on display

Could vaping have the same restrictions put on it as tobacco?

Public Health Wales (PHW) thinks it should, with plain packaging and no displays in shops.

The agency, which is part of NHS Wales, is also supporting calls for a ban on disposable vapes because it believes they are link to a growth in the habit among young people, as well as being harmful to the environment.

Celtic Vapours, which has stores across south Wales, said it supported restricting access by the young, but current rules were not being enforced.

PHW said vapes were useful to help adult smokers quit but it is concerned about the rise in the number of people vaping who have never smoked.

It said it was particularly worried at the growth in children and young people.

Imogen, 17, from Bridgend, said she had never vaped but many of her friends do.

"My friends say it helps their anxiety but some just like it for the flavours - but it's becoming so popular.

"It is now a social norm and I think people then feel pressurised to join in," she said.

"It's such a bad thing because of all the sweet flavours it feels like it's aimed at younger people.

"And, also, the colours of the vapes are so bright it does feel like it's targeted at people our age."

Taryn, also 17 and from Bridgend, said: "Most of my friends vape. I know one friend who's been vaping since she was 13 and she's definitely addicted.

"It's becoming a fad - they see people doing it and think it's so cool to do it but it's not.

"They all love it though. They all vape the funky flavours, like unicorn rainbow bubble-gum.

"It's drawing in kids, with cartoon characters on packaging too.”

“Rogue retailers are currently selling huge amounts of illegal disposable vapes to children and that needs to be tackled,” says Joe Bevan, of Celtic Vapours

Vapes - or e-cigarettes - usually, but not always, contain nicotine. While vaping is safer than smoking, there is "very limited" evidence about the health effects of vaping.

It has become such a problem in schools, some have introduced alarms to detect whether pupils are vaping in the toilets, and there are claims some cannot get through lessons without a vape break.

A survey by the public health charity Ash - Action on Smoking and Health - found 20.5% of children aged 11 to 17 had tried vaping, up from 15.8% in 2022 and from 13.9% in 2020.

Joe Bevan, director of Celtic Vapours which has stores in Bridgend, Cardiff and Swansea, said: "I think it's great they're trying to be proactive and looking at ways to restrict youth access but the biggest issue they have is they are not enforcing rules which are currently in place.

"Rogue retailers are currently selling huge amounts of illegal disposable vapes to children and that needs to be tackled.

"If they can do that the youth access will be restricted straight away without having to impose further restrictions on people who are moving to a safer alternative," he said.

""Personally, I don't think the plain packaging will make a difference. Did it do much with smoking?”

Vaping is safer than smoking, but there is limited evidence about the health effects

The Welsh and UK governments both want a ban on disposable vapes.

A consultation by the UK government ended on 6 December about what further measures should be brought in to discourage vaping.

Dr Julie Bishop, PHW's director of health improvement, said it “supports strong action to raise the age of tobacco sale in the UK, as well as for new laws on the way vapes are marketed and sold to bring them in-line with tobacco products“.

“We welcome the fact that the UK government consultation asked specifically about the packaging and display of vapes, as we strongly believe that these products should be sold in standardised packaging in plain colours with no logos, as is currently the case with tobacco products," she said.

'Strong action'

“Vapes should also be stored behind the counter, and not on display, to mirror the approach for tobacco products.

“These measures have been very effective in tackling smoking uptake amongst children and young people.”

The UK government's Department of Health and Social Care said: "We know there's been a surge in youth vaping and this government is taking the long-term health decisions to protect our children and reverse this trend.

"That's why we've consulted on ways to reduce the appeal and availability of vapes to young people, including by reducing the number of flavours and colours of vapes available, regulating how vapes are displayed in shops to keep them out of sight for children, and restricting the sale of disposable vapes."