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Dr Caroline Johnson, MP for Sleaford and North Hykenham, to introduce bill in parliament to stop sale of disposable e-cigarettes and vapes




An MP is set to introduce a bill into parliament next week that will aim to prohibit the sale of disposable e-cigarettes and vapes.

Dr Caroline Johnson, MP for the Sleaford and North Hykenham constituency which includes Great Gonerby, Barrowby, Marston and Cranwell, wants to introduce this bill after a NHS survey conducted in 2021 and published last year found that nearly one in five (18 per cent) of fifteen-year-olds considered themselves e-cigarette users.

Dr Johnson, an NHS children’s doctor and member of Parliament’s Health and Social Care Select Committee, is due to highlight the positive impact a potential ban on disposable vapes and e-cigarettes would have on the country as part of her Ten Minute Rule Bill on Wednesday, February 8.

MP Dr Caroline Johnson questioned Rishi Sunak during Prime Minister's Questions. (61048956)
MP Dr Caroline Johnson questioned Rishi Sunak during Prime Minister's Questions. (61048956)

Dr Johnson said: "The Government is committed to achieving a smoke-free generation by 2030.

"Reusable e-cigarettes and vapes remain an important aid to quitting smoking, but I fear that their colourful, child friendly flavoured, disposable counterparts are luring non-smokers into a life of addiction, which risks creating a new generation of nicotine addicts.

"I look forward to presenting my bill to parliament soon and to highlighting the effects disposable e-cigarettes and vapes are having on our nation’s health and natural environment."

Vapes. Picture: iStock (61898430)
Vapes. Picture: iStock (61898430)

Despite preventative fines currently in place, the disposable devices are too accessible for young people and therefore a ban on all disposable forms of the device is necessary, Dr Johnson believes.

Particular attention has been drawn to the fact that the design of disposable vapes is appealing to children through their bright colours, attractive sweet flavours and popular prominence on social media sites such as TikTok.

There is more concern that popular disposable vape brands sold in the UK use the equivalent of 20mg of nicotine, roughly equal to between forty and fifty cigarettes in their devices.

In addition to the impact on young people’s health, there are severe environmental harms relating to the disposal of the single-use items.

This involves the lithium batteries they contain, difficulties in recycling them and common littering which are all problems often associated with the devices.



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