10 signatures reached
To: Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Follow Australia and restrict the sale of vapes to protect our children
The UK should follow Australia in requiring that vapes may only be sold by a registered pharmacy and that vapes may only be sold to under 18s with a valid prescription.
Why is this important?
Vaping can be used to help wean people off cigarettes and reduce the risk of lung cancer through smoking tobacco. However, many people who now smoke vapes have never been tobacco smokers. This is particularly true of children and young people.
Vapes are highly addictive due to their nicotine content. As recognised by the NHS, nicotine addiction affects the nervous system and can lead to long lasting changes in cognition, attention span, and memory. Nicotine addiction can lead to mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. Nicotine also affects the cardiovascular system, increasing the risk of heart attack.
Vapes contain a variety of chemicals. There is a lack of research into the long term effects of heating and inhaling these chemicals on the lungs and other organs. Moreover, many vapes that are sold do not comply with UK regulations as regard chemical content with millions of illegal vapes being seized each year. The Chartered Trading Standards Institute have described those vapes seized as the “tip pf the iceberg.”
Children and young people are highly exposed to vapes and this exposure is increasing. The latest research by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) suggests 72% of children had been exposed to vape promotion, mostly in shops and online. The research also found that around a million children aged 11-17 have tried vaping with approximately 230,000 children vaping more than once a week. The vast majority of these children have never smoked tobacco.
Australia recently changed the laws on vaping to protect against the harms of vaping and nicotine dependence. The change in the law requires that vapes may only be sold at a registered pharmacy. Vapes may only be sold to under 18s with a valid prescription. This regulation helps protect children against exposure to vapes and makes it far more difficult for children to buy them.
Vapes are highly addictive due to their nicotine content. As recognised by the NHS, nicotine addiction affects the nervous system and can lead to long lasting changes in cognition, attention span, and memory. Nicotine addiction can lead to mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. Nicotine also affects the cardiovascular system, increasing the risk of heart attack.
Vapes contain a variety of chemicals. There is a lack of research into the long term effects of heating and inhaling these chemicals on the lungs and other organs. Moreover, many vapes that are sold do not comply with UK regulations as regard chemical content with millions of illegal vapes being seized each year. The Chartered Trading Standards Institute have described those vapes seized as the “tip pf the iceberg.”
Children and young people are highly exposed to vapes and this exposure is increasing. The latest research by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) suggests 72% of children had been exposed to vape promotion, mostly in shops and online. The research also found that around a million children aged 11-17 have tried vaping with approximately 230,000 children vaping more than once a week. The vast majority of these children have never smoked tobacco.
Australia recently changed the laws on vaping to protect against the harms of vaping and nicotine dependence. The change in the law requires that vapes may only be sold at a registered pharmacy. Vapes may only be sold to under 18s with a valid prescription. This regulation helps protect children against exposure to vapes and makes it far more difficult for children to buy them.
