The Leader of Sheffield City Council has written to the Secretary of State asking for single-use disposable vapes to be banned.
The pressure has come from councillors in response to the increase in youth vaping and the impact these devices are having on the environment and the wellbeing of children in the city.
Councillor Tom Hunt, Leader of Sheffield City Council, sent the letter to Rt Hon Victoria Atkins, Secretary of State for Health & Social Care in which he said: “We’re already working hard in the city to reduce smoking which still causes many preventable deaths each year. Vaping has been shown to help adult smokers to quit, but if you don’t smoke you shouldn’t start vaping. We need to continue to do our best to stop children smoking, but we don’t want them to start vaping either. We want children to be healthy and not enticed by harmful products that are being deliberately marketed to them.
“In addition, the environmental impact of disposal single use vapes is too significant to not take action. This is why we are putting pressure on the Government to do what they can to protect children from harm and to protect the environment by banning the sale of single-use disposable vapes.
“We urge the Government to ensure sufficient investment for enforcement action by Trading Standards and others to restrict the supply of illicit vapes. The additional £30m proposed by Government to target underage sales and the import of illicit tobacco and vaping products will not be enough to effectively respond to the increased demand for the illegal market. As well as sufficient resources for enforcement, counteracting this increase will require further regulation, such as that proposed in the recent consultation, to reduce the affordability, appeal and accessibility of vapes to children. Colourful, child-friendly packaging and advertisements designed specifically to target and appeal to children and young people is wholly inappropriate.
