Scotland Targets Disposable Vapes

Image: Tobacco Reporter archive

The first minister of Scotland has announced a consultation on a government plan to curb the sale of single-use vapes, reports the BBC.

“In the next year, we will take action to reduce vaping—particularly among children,” said Humza Yousaf, adding that one of the options under consideration was a complete ban on disposable e-cigarettes.

A recent Scottish government report found that 22 percent of all under-18s—around 78,000 people—are believed to have used a vape last year, with more young people using them than smoking cigarettes.

It found that most e-cigarette users under 18 prefer single-use vapes.

The review by Zero Waste Scotland estimated that up to 2.7 million single-use vapes were littered in Scotland last year. The study estimated that there were 543,000 users of e-cigarettes in Scotland and predicted that without intervention, that will rise to 900,000 by 2027.

Scotland joins several countries such as France that are considering a ban on disposables.