Vape Study Announcement Includes Flavour Ban

The government describes the proposal as “groundbreaking” and believes it will support its plans to tackle youth vaping and create a smoke-free generation.

The £62 million research project into adolescent health, funded by UK Research and Innovation, will track 100,000 young people aged 8 to 18 years over a decade, collecting data on behaviour, biology and health records to understand what affects young people's health and wellbeing, including the impact of vaping. 

The Department states: “While vaping is less harmful than smoking and can be a useful tool to help adult smokers quit, youth vaping has skyrocketed in recent years, with a quarter of 11- to 15-year-olds having tried it.”

This statement contradicts the findings from Action on Smoking and Health which has shown stalled growth and then declines in teen vaping. The narrative that “youth vaping has skyrocketed” is deeply misleading. 

They go on to say that the new research project coincides with their “world-leading Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which will clamp down on youth vaping by limiting flavours, packaging and displays deliberately designed to appeal to children.”

The study is one of 3 sets of research being commissioned by the government, alongside the launch of England's first ever public health marketing campaign to educate children on vaping harms. 

The Department continues: “The long-term health impacts of youth vaping are not fully known, and this comprehensive approach will provide the most detailed picture yet, giving health carers and policymakers the robust evidence they need to protect the next generation from the potential health risks.”

 Minister for Public Health and Prevention, Ashley Dalton, said: “We know that vaping can be a useful tool to quit smoking, but it's crucial we have clear evidence on the long-term health harms, especially for young people.

“This landmark series of studies, combined with our first national youth vaping campaign, will help drive evidence-based, decisive action to protect our children's future.

“Through bold preventative measures, such as the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, this government will deliver on our Plan for Change to build healthier lives and save our broken NHS.”

Dalton, fresh in post, did not explain what the “clear evidence on the long-term health harms, especially for young people” is.

Prof Lucy Chappell, NIHR CEO and Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department of Health and Social Care, said: “With vaping on the rise among young people, it is crucial that we develop a solid evidence base to better understand its health impacts, and help ensure we protect and support the next generation. 

“By investing in important research such as this we give young people, parents, and policymakers the knowledge they need to make informed decisions and safeguard long-term health.”

Sarah Sleet, Chief Executive at Asthma + Lung UK, said: “The number of non-smokers, particularly young people, taking up vaping is extremely worrying. The long-term impact of vaping on the lungs isn't yet known, so research into its effect on young people, is really important. 

“It is already known that vaping can cause inflammation in the airways, and people with asthma have told us that vapes can trigger their condition. Vaping could put developing lungs at risk, while exposure to nicotine - also contained in vapes - can damage developing brains. This is why young people should be stopped from taking up vaping in the first place.”

Briain damage claims come from a single rodent study. There is no reliable evidence that vaping damages developing brains.

The government then slips in confirmation about a tragic aspect of the upcoming legislation, “restricting vape flavours and packaging that appeal directly to young people, is an important step in tackling youth vaping along with a ban on cheap disposable vapes. Alongside this, arming young people with the facts about the dangers of vaping and how it affects their health with campaigns like Love Your Lungs, is absolutely vital.”

There you have it – a cast iron statement that this government intends to take away your preferred vape flavours.

Funded through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the second set of research will see University College London produce yearly updates capturing the latest vaping research from both the UK and international sources. Separately, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine will conduct the most comprehensive analysis of youth vaping studies to date, also funded by NIHR.

The UK’s leading anti-vape academic, Professor Martin McKee, works at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

The Department goes on to add: “These landmark studies will ensure healthcare workers can be kept at the cutting edge of the latest evidence and insights. At the same time, the government is rolling out its first-ever nationwide campaign to inform young people about the hidden health dangers of vaping.

“The campaign, Love Your Lungs, exposes the harms of vaping and nicotine addiction, that highlighting with their lungs and brains still developing, young people are more vulnerable to health risks.”

The Love Your Lungs campaign will be aimed at 13- to 18-year-olds and will mainly focus on social media messaging, “using influencers to speak directly to its younger audience”.

Photo Credit:

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Dave Cross

Journalist at POTV

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Dave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.