Should We Ban Disposable Vapes?
Have you ever noticed kids who barely look 14 trading vapes like they're swapping football stickers?
With flavours like cotton candy, gummy bears, unicorn shakes, and strawberry ice cream, it's hard to believe these are nicotine products and not treats at a children's party. It's pretty clear that the thousands of vape flavours aren't really aimed at helping ex-smokers quit. The flashy colours and designs make them look more like collectable toys than aids to quit smoking, regardless of their claims.
Did you know that 9% of 11-15-year-olds are using vapes? Let that sink in for a moment. Disposable vapes are especially appealing to kids because they're sleek, affordable, and easier to get hold of than the bulkier reusable ones. They're literally everywhere you look.
Being a parent during this vaping epidemic is genuinely frightening. Consider the stats: vaping among 11-17-year-olds has skyrocketed nearly 9 times in just 2 years. This is especially alarming since the long-term health effects are still unknown.
In an effort to combat vaping among young people, the government plans to ban disposable vapes by 2025, limit reusable vapes to just 4 flavours, clamp down on the colourful marketing targeting kids, hide vape displays, and impose fines on those illegally selling to minors.
But will these measures actually reduce underage vaping? Some argue it's too little, too late. What we need is a swift and comprehensive approach, focusing on education and changing the social norms around vaping. Waiting until 2025 seems too slow; there's too much time for the situation to worsen before it gets better.
Beyond the issue of underage vaping, the environmental impact is also concerning. Every week, we're disposing of 5 million disposable vapes, four times more than just a few years ago. And while they can be recycled, only 17% of vapers bother to do so. In 2023 alone, we discarded over 40 tonnes of lithium disposable batteries – that's enough power for 5,000 electric cars!
The unfortunate reality is that black-market single-use vapes will likely thrive post-ban unless the government takes significant steps to change the public's perception of vaping.