Protect our children from vaping

In a motion to Newcastle City Council, Cllr Wendy Taylor called for urgent Government action to regulate the sale of disposable vapes and prevent a public health catastrophe.

WENDY said " The number of 11-18 year olds using vapes has risen dramatically in the last 2 years, with recent evidence showing that 24% of children in the UK have tried vaping including nearly 100,000 in the North-East. Vape manufacturers are deliberately trying to get our children hooked on nicotine.

Why else would disposable vapes be clearly advertised and marketed to children using cartoons, bright colours and different flavours? With pocket money prices, brand names like Elf Bar, Lost Mary and Juul and a loophole in the law that allowed vapes to be given away for free to minors, is it surprising that they are attractive?

Children become addicted to nicotine much faster than adults and we don't know the long-term effects of vaping. There's also the problem that many of the products on sale in the UK are illicit and may contain banned chemicals or super strength nicotine. Some vapes have also been shown to have high levels of toxic chemicals, including nickel, lead and chromium, which could seriously damage children's health. The potential long-term damage these products could cause is frightening "

Newcastle Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to take urgent action to regulate vaping products, with plain packaging, products kept out of sight behind the counter, mandatory age of sale signage and a ban on free samples being given out to people of any age. These measures are vital to prevent a public health catastrophe.