BMA Welcomes Disposables Ban

Professor David Strain, together with BMA public health medicine committee chair Dr Heather Grimbaldeston, commented on the ban on the sale of disposable vapes: “[It] is a welcome advance in the battle against an epidemic that threatens the health of both our children and young people, and our planet.

“It follows calls from the BMA to ban single-use vapes due to their appeal and availability to children, and the huge environmental impact they have when discarded.”

The BMA has always released negative statements against vapes dating back to the early days of vaping. 

It’s attacks on harm reduction doesn’t end here.

Strain and Grimbaldeston continued: “But while it’s one step in this battle, the war against youth vaping is by no means over. The Government and policymakers must do everything they can to eliminate the appeal and availability of these addictive and potentially harmful products to children and young people. This means pushing forward with the passage of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill and implementing regulations, that will give the Government power to limit flavours and tighten controls on packaging and advertising.

“The Government and regulators need to be responsive to attempts by industry to evade new rules by adapting their products in way that makes them compliant but still affordable and appealing to children and young people. This will also require a properly resourced enforcement system, so that manufacturers and retailers cannot get away with breaking the law.

“We’ve seen both this Government and the last united in their pledges to tackle youth vaping, we now need leaders to follow through for the sake of the population’s future health.”

The BMA is a professional association and trade union representing and negotiating on behalf of all doctors in the UK. 

The doctor’s union wasn’t the only one to begin pushing for even tougher vaping restrictions.

Following news of Lord Ed Vaizey being criticised for accepting a trip paid for by Philip Morris International, Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said: “Any loopholes will be ruthlessly exploited by an industry with a profound commercial conflict of interest.” 

Cheeseman went on to tell journalists that the disposable ban on its own will not stop youth vaping – and demanded the government moves faster and further, confirming that Action on Smoking and Health has moved from being an anti-smoking charity to an anti-nicotine charity.

Cheeseman complained about “bright colours”, ease of access and “low prices”. She appears to be demanding products are made to look drab and be expensive, apparently not caring for the impact this will have on adult smokers and vapers (who are the vast majority of users/potential users of vape products).

She believes the new range of reusable vapes, brought in to cater to adult consumers who have been prevented from using single use products, are so cheap that vapers will treat them as if they were disposables.

With the ongoing threat to price and on flavours, it has never been more important to contact your MP and educate them as to how vaping helped you quit smoking.

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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.