DISPOSABLE vapes could be banned in Scotland as soon as this year following cooperation between the Scottish, UK and Welsh governments.
Humza Yousaf has previously said he is worried about the impact of vapes to the environment as well as to the health of Scotland’s children, and in his first Programme for Government he vowed to crack down on underage vaping.
Plans are now set for a ban across the UK, the Daily Record reports.
The newspaper reports that it is hoped the ban will be in place by the end of the year – although the legislative process may mean it does not come into force until 2025.
SNP MSP for East Renfrewshire Kirsten Oswald (above), who has been campaigning on the issue for several years, welcomed the news.
“Having long been raising the alarm about disposable vapes, I welcome this move to ban them.
“It is very clear that disposable vapes are detrimental to health and to the wellbeing of our planet,” she said.
Oswald has submitted more than 20 written questions to the UK Government regarding disposable vapes, with an estimated 1.3 million being thrown away every week.
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We previously told how environmental campaigner Laura Young found 55 disposable vapes during a hour-long walk in Dundee.
SNP MP Oswald has also taken aim at English Championship club Blackburn Rovers for their sponsorship by vape company, Totally Wicked, and said she hopes the ban will lead to an immediate rethink by sports companies currently using vape sponsorship on their kits.
She added: “We need to dispel the myth that disposable vapes are predominantly being used for smoking cessation, when the reality is a horrifying number of children are using them despite having never smoked tobacco products.
“We know that the number of children vaping is increasing by 50% year on year, and that the Royal College of Public Health estimates that more than one in five 11-15 year olds are reported to have used the products.
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“With a ban in the works, additional action must now be taken to clamp down on illicit disposable vapes. The proposed ban must be solid and able to be properly enforced.
“This campaign has been a long one, and the many people and groups who have been speaking out will be as relieved as I am.
“I am grateful to all of the campaigners, whose hard work has made it possible to get to this point.”
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