Vantage | How to stop e-cigarettes from making their way to children

Vapes were invented about two decades ago. Initially, they were used as smoking cessation devices; they were marketed as the lesser of two evils. Vapes have come a long way since; now, they come in candy, soda, or fruity flavours and in a kaleidoscope of colours. They have new names like puff bars and a new target—the teenagers. Millions of teens are vaping the world over. In the UK, youth vaping has tripled in the past three years. Now, Britain wants to ban disposable vapes. Meanwhile, Australia has already banned the import of vapes. Yet, more than 13 tonnes of disposable vapes worth 4.5 million dollars have been seized at the border this week.

When vapes first came to the market, they were seen as the lesser of two evils. Their main role was to help people move away from traditional cigarettes, but over the past few years, vapes have undergone a revamp. Vapes are no longer smoking cessation devices, either. They are a trendy accessory worn by children and teens. Also, they are no longer boring-looking; vapes now come in a cornucopia of different flavours like kiwi, strawberry, and bubble gum. You name it, and the stores near you will probably have it. After all, stores are displaying vapes right next to candies, and influencers are casually vaping on Tiktok. All of this has curated the perfect storm of vape smoke. Hence, increasingly, vapes are making their way into the hands of children. There has been a sharp uptick in the UK; last year, 20.5 percent of children from the ages of 11 to 17 tried vaping. That’s one in five. Up from 15.8 percent in 2022 and 13.9 percent in 2020. Meanwhile, regular youth vaping has tripled in the past three years. This is a big problem. Vapes may be less harmful than cigarettes, but they contain nicotine, which is highly addictive. Vapes also come with a suite of other chemicals. All of this can cause lung damage, breathlessness, and nicotine poisoning. There have been cases of burns or shattered jaws from exploding vapes as well. Apart from health concerns, there are also major environmental hazards. Disposable vapes contain lithium batteries; an estimated five million are thrown away each week in Britain. So now, Britain wants to ban single-use vapes, regulate packaging and displays, and restrict their flavours. All of this is aimed at curbing the appeal of vaping among youth, but the UK is not the only one working on it. France has moved to ban single-use vapes. Germany has proposed pushing for a similar ban across the EU. New Zealand has introduced regulations on marketing vapes to children. Meanwhile, it has been illegal for any Australian to purchase vapes without a doctor’s prescription since 2021, but despite this, the rates of addiction have continued to skyrocket. Especially among children, one in six high school students is vaping in Australia, and one in four aged between 18 and 24 is vaping. So on January 1, this year, the land down under brought a sweeping new law. It banned the import of disposable vapes. Yet, over 13 tonnes of disposable vapes were seized by the border officers this week; that’s worth 4.5 million dollars. It is the first such large-scale seizure since the ban. But overall, 250,000 disposable vapes have been seized since January 1, worth about 7.4 million dollars. Despite regulations, vapes may not be going anywhere; they have a booming black market and a huge demand. So simply banning their purchase or import won’t solve the problem. Experts say higher taxes on vapes can reduce their appeal to youth, as can strict regulation of social media messaging. Execution of a simple ban on vaping may only end up in smoke. The author is a Delhi-based writer. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost_’s views._ Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram .