The Governments’ upcoming Tobacco and Vapes bill faced its second read through in the House of Commons last night, and sailed through its vote with 415 votes for to just 47 against.
Speaking before the read through in her introductory speech, the Rt Hon Victoria Atkins MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, said of the vaping industry as it stands: “We cannot replace one generation addicted to nicotine with another and vapes are cynically marketed towards our children.
“They are sold at pocket-money prices, they share shelf space with sweets, they’re branded with cartoon characters, and they are given flavours like cotton candy and watermelon ice. Our children are being exploited and we cannot, and will not, let this continue.”
Focusing on the ban on disposable vapes, as we have widely reported on over the past year, Victoria Atkins added: “Some five million disposable vapes are thrown away either in bins or on our streets every single week, and that’s equivalent to some 5,000 lithium car batteries of electric vehicles being thrown away every year - and so we have a responsibility, we argue, to tackle that harm perpetuated by the vaping industry on our planet.”
The vote will move the UK one step closer to becoming smoke-free, shielding the next generation from the harms of smoking, the Government says. “The Tobacco and Vapes Bill provides the protection that children and young people need to avoid a life imprisoned by addiction. That’s why it’s so incredibly important it is voted through,” Health Secretary Wes Streeting added.
After being told of the proposed changes to their businesses, many retailers, suppliers and business groups pointed to issues they had with what the Government has announced.
We will continue to report on the issue as it develops.
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