We keep hearing a lot of talk about banning disposable vapes.
As we all know, the use of disposable vapes has surged in popularity in recent years, and several serious concerns have emerged that were not adequately considered:
- The impact of disposable vapes on the environment from significant plastic and spent battery waste
- Sales of addictive nicotine-based vape devices to underage users
- Illegal and dangerous vapes sold by unscrupulous high-street retailers.
- Poor regulation by the authorities
As a result, there have been calls for stricter regulations on disposable vapes, including a possible ban in some areas.
So, how do we deal with it?
Would a quick-fix solution be to ban disposable vapes entirely?
Yes, but this won't help smokers and ex-smokers trying to quit, and it won't make the problem go away.
Preventing small retailers from selling disposable vapes may seem like a straightforward solution, but the reality is that there are thousands of such retailers across the UK who rely on these products to support their business.
It will be a challenging task to enforce such a ban. It's unlikely that enough will be done in the short term, and many retailers will continue to break the law by selling illegal high-strength vapes that are non-compliant with UK regulations.
Thankfully, the government and trade associations are considering licencing each retailer and using more significant fines for those selling illegal vapes, but these solutions will take time.
My opinion, and that of many in the vape industry, is that we should be considering the best deterrent for kids taking up vaping whilst thinking about how we can help the environment right now.
It wouldn't be too difficult to make vaping too expensive for kids to afford by increasing the price point. And to reduce the environmental impact, we could increase the e-liquid capacity of disposable vapes.
E-liquid bottles were reduced from 30ml to 10ml when TPD regulation came in a few years ago, and the UK industry easily adapted to the change. Therefore, a simple answer to the problem would be to make disposable vapes 10ml instead of 2ml. This would make them last five times longer, reduce waste by five times, and would surely be a no-brainer solution to this problem?
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