While vaping is not entirely harm-free, it is a scientifically proven tool for reducing the harm from tobacco combustion and, in some cases, an effective smoking cessation aid. In the United Kingdom (UK), public health efforts are increasingly focused on addressing youth vaping as a public health concern.
Several measures have been proposed to curb the growing number of nicotine users in the UK. These include introducing taxes to reduce the affordability of vape products, implementing minimum package sizes, restricting flavours, and tightening accessibility through age restrictions and licensing.
However, tobacco control experts warn that these policies could unintentionally drive people toward combustible cigarette smoking and other harmful tobacco behaviors.
Speaking at the 2024 E-Cigarette Summit in the UK during a session titled ‘Vaping Policies: Maximising Benefits and Minimising Unintended Consequences,’Martin Dockrell from the Office of Health Improvement & Disparities (OHID) emphasised the need for thoughtful policy design.
“Each of these measures has been found to have unintended consequences benefiting cigarettes or smoked tobacco. It is crucial to design interventions and regulations with great care. We want to reduce vaping while avoiding the undeniable harm of increasing smoking,” said Dockrell.
He further warned that even a small increase in smoking prevalence could completely offset the benefits of reducing youth vaping. Dockrell also criticised the disproportionate focus on youth vaping at the expense of addressing adult smoking.
“I’ve heard many discussions focused on making young people quit vaping while ignoring adult smoking. This is alarming because it reflects a poor understanding of the harms of smoking .Smoking harms children indirectly as they are exposed to second-hand smoke, risk losing parents or grandparents to smoking-related illnesses, and experience smoking-induced poverty. By protecting some children from the harms of vaping while failing to reduce adult smoking, we inadvertently harm kids,” he said.
Dockrell also debunked the notion that the youth are primarily turning to vaping over smoking, stressing that children are still at risk of smoking.
According to data from Action on Smoking and Health, vaping rates among 11–17-year-olds in the UK have stabilised after a period of growth. The percentage of youth in this age group who have ever used a vape decreased slightly from 20% in 2023 to 18% in 2024. Current vaping rates, including infrequent use, stand at 7.2% among the youth, showing no significant increase since 2022. Experimentation with vaping also decreased slightly from 11.6% in 2023 to 9.5% in 2024.
Dr Jasmine Khouja, a Senior Research Associate at the University of Bristol, highlighted the complexity of vaping and smoking behaviours and criticised the oversimplification of blaming vaping for increased smoking rates.
“Most policymakers are interested in whether vaping might act as a gateway to smoking. We know this isn’t true for everyone as there are other reasons why someone who vapes might eventually smoke,” said Dr Khouja.
She argued that banning flavours would not necessarily reduce vaping or smoking.
“We need to focus on helping young people quit smoking and assisting their parents to quit as well. In countries where vaping is illegal, such as Brazil, millions rely on illicit markets for vaping products. This drives users toward unsafe options,” she explained.
Dr Khouja warned that banning vaping products could push users toward underground markets, exposing them to more harmful and unregulated products.
“When Harm Reduction products are legalised, people can access safer alternatives, make informed decisions, and receive proper guidance. Prohibition doesn’t work—this holds true for all substances. Legalisation is the solution,” she said.
Her views were supported by DrTom Freeman, Director of the Addiction and Mental Health Group at the University of Bath.
“In Canada, where cannabis is legal, they have a regulated market with safe cannabis vapes. They don’t face issues with synthetic cannabis vapes like we do here in the UK, where cannabis is illegal, and these products are found in schools,” said Dr Freeman.
Meanwhile, the British government is planning to ban the sale of single-use or disposable vapes starting from June 2025 to address environmental concerns and curb rising usage among children.
Dr Eve Taylor, a Research Associate with the Nicotine Research Group at King’s College London, pointed out why disposable vapes appeal to young people.
“Disposable products are cheap and very easy to access. In the UK, you used to get vapes only from supermarkets, but now they’re everywhere—even in hardware stores,” said Dr Taylor.
She added that attractive packaging also plays a significant role in drawing young people to disposable vapes.
