Once upon a time, vaping was a simple step towards quitting nicotine. Nowadays, it acts as many youths’ first interaction with the substance. Vapes are everywhere: market stalls, corner shops, supermarkets… you cannot go out without seeing one. The threat they pose to young people is never emphasised enough. Not only are the single-use pens terrible for the environment (ironically something Gen Z is expected to be hyperconscious of) but the impact on the user’s health in the long-term, as well as the short-term, is anything but positive.
In 2019, 13.9% of adults (over the age of 16) were smokers, according to statistics provided by Public Health England. In 1974, business was booming, with 45% of the population smoking (according to the Office for National Statistics); the drop-off has been immense, partially owing to the anti-smoking education that many schools choose to implement into their curriculum. There are only positive takeaways from this decrease. You save more money, have more energy, feel mentally better, smell better, and have much less risk of developing COPD, cancer, and heart disease, among many other health conditions. A huge improvement. Great stuff, guys.
It was great stuff… until the invention of the vape. The vibrant little things were first sold in the UK as early as 2005 but didn’t pick up in popularity until the mid-2010s. I can’t give you entirely truthful stats to compare. A 2022 government smoking survey along with anti-smoking charity ASH 2022 suggested 8.6% of 11-18 year-olds vaped. As if most 15-year-olds will happily disclose that habit to an online survey, whether it is labelled ‘confidential’ or not. They’re not stupid. I’m seventeen, I belong to this age group - and I must say from my observations, this is nowhere near accurate. Either way, the youth of today are unimpressed by the use of cigarettes.
Of course, they’re illegal to sell to those under 18. Doesn’t stop sellers, though, does it? You could walk into almost any store or newsagent and see where these kids are accessing them. Lined up in some sort of toxic rainbow behind the counter, advertised in the window like confectionery. They even taste like sweets. With flavours like ‘Blue Raspberry’. Is that not solely a poisonous, addictive slush puppy? Do you think that vapes titled ‘Banana Ice’ are targeted at 50-year-old smokers hoping to quit their tobacco addiction? The marketing of the flavours is intended to entice young people into purchasing these vapes. One of the best ways to eliminate teenagers’ rising problem with nicotine, would be to ban these flavours. The riddance of fruit flavours would discourage young non-smokers. Moreover, cigarettes aren’t exactly the tastiest things in the world; existing smokers would certainly cope with an unflavoured e-cigarette. These childish flavours are simply selling nicotine addiction to teenagers.
Besides their negative effects on vulnerable young users, vapes are further damaging our planet. The recycling group Material Focus’ study suggested 1.3 million vapes are thrown away per week, failing to recycle interior components such as lithium and copper. That’s if they make it into the bin - can you walk through the streets without seeing several discarded on the ground? Not only do they waste these valuable materials, but disposable pens are a complete overuse of plastic, and, in a world where we should strive to reduce our plastic waste, they are possibly the most unhelpful device to own. There are just no positives.
I can appreciate that vaping does serve a purpose for smokers attempting to quit - banning them entirely is too harsh. They are less harmful than cigarettes, of course - it would be unfair to ban one and not the other. Besides, banning other substances hasn’t exactly established a track record of stopping their usage by the British public. Their popularity among teenagers must drop, especially while we are not entirely certain of the long-term effects. The US’s ban on flavoured e-cigarettes has been too recent to yet fully measure its success, but should the ban reduce teenagers’ vaping habits, the government should be urged to follow suit and remove the products so plainly marketed at children. Setting the youth of the UK up for future health problems and establishing a drug as a financial burden on them under the guise of a fruity, sweet treat is criminal.
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