A poll by campaign group We Vape has found that 35% of UK vapers would continue to buy flavoured vapes, regardless of proposed legislation that could see them banned.
Under the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which had its first reading in Parliament last week, there are proposals to restrict flavours of vape products in order to make them less attractive to children. These proposals were met with concern from the vaping industry due to the flavours being seen as an aid to moving from tobacco to vape products.
The We Vape research, which included a survey of 601 vapers, revealed that 35% of respondents would continue to buy flavoured vapes online, abroad or elsewhere if flavours were limited to only ‘tobacco’, ‘menthol’, and ‘fruit’.
We Vape founder Mark Oates said: “Our polling shows millions of vapers are just going to ignore any measures that prevent them from accessing the flavours that help them quit smoking.
“If a certain vape flavour stops a person lighting up, it should be protected. Naming products in a way that clearly appeals to children, like bubblegum, must of course be banned, but there are many flavours that attract smokers looking to make the switch away from the tastes and smells associated with smoking. Appealing flavours must be protected to ensure we don’t see a mass migration from vaping back to combustible tobacco, which is a death sentence for most users.”
The research also showed one fifth (20%) of vapers will likely go back to smoking after any flavours ban - slightly lower than the government’s own impact report.
Asked how likely they would be to return to cigarettes in the next 12 months if the Government were to restrict vape flavours, 11.5% said they would be “highly likely” to go back to smoking while a further 10% said they would be “quite likely”.
The poll also showed a quarter of UK vapers would be much less likely to vote Labour if the government restricts vape flavours. Results showed that 23.3% would be “much less likely” to vote Labour, while 4.5% said they would be “somewhat less likely” if done as part of the new Tobacco and Vapes Bill.
Oates added: “The vape vote is becoming increasingly important due to the sheer numbers of smokers who have switched to this effective harm reduction tool. “Keir Starmer is garnering a reputation for not listening to the public. If this continues with vaping the stats are clear - it will cost him at the polls.”
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