Disposables Ban Slammed by Experts
Great Britain’s disposable vape ban is an inadequate solution to youth vaping with the potential unintended consequences, according to experts in tobacco harm reduction
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by Dave Cross
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Great Britain’s disposable vape ban is an inadequate solution to youth vaping with the potential unintended consequences, according to experts in tobacco harm reduction. The warning from researchers at University College London and King's College London came early this year – and has been echoed by tobacco harm reduction experts following the ban on single use products on Sunday.
University College London’s Eve Taylor, Harry Tattan-Birch, and Katherine East published their Cancer Research UK funded research paper in January 2025. In it, they warned: “A ban may protect the environment but, alone, is unlikely to substantially reduce youth vaping and may have unintended consequences. A wider package of carefully-designed measures is required to balance the need to reduce youth vaping while ensuring vapes are available for smoking cessation or reduction.”
The trio added that “although the disposable vape ban is well-intentioned and might potentially be positive from an environmental perspective, it is unlikely to substantially reduce youth vaping.”
Despite the clear warning from experts, the current government ploughed ahead with the Conservatives plan – ignoring advice against doing so.
Harm reduction expert Clive Bates responded to the ban, saying: “The disposable vape ban is a reckless gamble on how 2.6 million people will respond to a ban on the products most widely used as far safer alternatives to smoking. Wes Streeting and CMO England - this is on you.”
Tomas Hammargren, Chief Risk Reduction Officer at KLAR bioceramic nicotine pouches added: “With the disposable vape ban fast approaching, the UK is at a turning point in nicotine policy. For the millions who vape or are trying to quit smoking, this is a critical opportunity to prioritise harm reduction. Our research shows 73% of smokers and vapers want to quit in 2025.
“We believe that the focus should always be on harm reduction when it comes to nicotine products. Nicotine pouches offer a smokeless, vapour-free alternative that can help reduce exposure to potential respiratory and cardiovascular harm. Providing a range of safer options is key to supporting individuals in making informed choices about their health.
“Sweden’s smoking rate has now dropped below 5%, making it effectively smoke-free - a milestone far below the EU average of 20-24%. This has been achieved through a harm reduction model that gives smokers access to less harmful alternatives.
“At the same time, we also need to stamp out bad practices. There’s absolutely a problem with some players on the market appealing directly to young people through punchy flavours and dangerously high nicotine strengths.
“Responsible regulation is key - not just to prevent youth uptake, but to make sure adult smokers have access to products that are genuinely designed to help them quit.”
References:
- England's disposable vape ban: An inadequate solution to youth vaping with potential unintended consequences - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/add.16756
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Author
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave 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.
