𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Vaping has become an increasingly familiar sight across Britain and, for many teenagers, it’s fast becoming a normal part of growing up. According to Action on Smoking and Health, 19% of 11 to 17-year-olds in Great Britain have tried vaping at least once – that’s about 1.1million children, and that should concern every parent, teacher and doctor in the country.

Make no mistake, it is an epidemic across our country. However, at the Budget this week, there has been another sign that the long-needed crackdown against vapes is coming. Vape shops, which have spread like a cancer across our high streets, will lose access to business relief.

We are hopeful that this is just the next step of a campaign against these sorts of shops. One of us has co-authored a major review of vaping’s effects on children and young people. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health described it as one of the most comprehensive reviews of its kind – it brought together evidence from 81 studies after researchers screened more than 14,000 published articles and examined 325 in full.

We found that young people who vaped were more likely to suffer from coughing, wheezing and symptoms of bronchitis, as well as exacerbated asthma. It also raised concerns surrounding mental health and sleep.

Widespread youth vaping is still relatively new, and the consequences of repeated exposure during adolescence may not be fully appreciated for some time to come. But that uncertainty isn’t a reason to wait – it’s why sensible precautions are needed now.

The other one of us founded StampOutVapes, a campaign raising awareness of illegal vapes among parents, teachers, medical professionals and the Government. Its petition calls on ministers to introduce proper safety standards before these products reach the shops.

In our different roles, a consultant paediatrician and a chief resident doctor, we’ve arrived at the same question: how are children getting these products so easily, and can anybody be confident about what’s inside the illegal vapes that they’re using?

The Government knows there’s a serious problem and already has the means to act. The Tobacco & Vapes Act gives ministers broad powers to strengthen product requirements, establish product registration and introduce retail licensing but the Government doesn’t plan to consult on its licensing scheme until 2027 at the earliest.

This needs to be brought forward now. Things are going in the right direction but the Government must go further and faster to help protect children up and down the country. A consultation is only the beginning, responses will need to be considered, regulations drafted and businesses given time to prepare. All while children are buying illegal vapes and the overstretched Trading Standards teams are trying to police a rapidly changing market.

Youth vaping is worrying, but illegal and non-compliant vapes take the risk to another level. Some are found to exceed nicotine restrictions by up to seven times the legal limit or contain undeclared toxic substances and even drugs like cannabis or spice. Others even fail basic electrical and battery-safety requirements and have caused fires in shops and homes.

When a child becomes seriously unwell after using an illegal vape, doctors won’t have a dependable way of establishing what they’ve inhaled. Clinicians face a similar problem with drug overdoses: somebody takes a substance without knowing what’s in it, it leaves medical teams having to respond without reliable information.

Legal nicotine vapes are regulated in this country. Manufacturers and importers must notify the authorities about their products and submit specified information before placing them on the market. But notification shouldn’t be confused with checking a finished, shelf-ready product. Much of the system relies on information supplied by manufacturers and importers, while illicit operators simply bypass the rules. This isn’t an issue we can just go on trust.

When a product delivers an aerosol directly into the lungs, a manufacturer’s declaration shouldn’t be enough. Notification tells the regulator what a producer says is in its product and independent testing checks whether that information is accurate. At present, there’s no requirement for every vape entering the UK to undergo such testing and that must change.

Products already on sale should face random checks, of which manufacturers and importers should foot the bill. The results should be linked to a register that retailers and enforcement officers can use, and failed products should be removed quickly and those responsible investigated.

But just testing won’t solve the problem. Every shop and online business selling vapes should also require a licence linked to a named operator. Licence conditions should cover age checks, traceable suppliers and cooperation with inspections and test purchases.

Retailers that repeatedly sell to children, stock illegal products or conceal their supply chains should risk suspension or license withdrawal. Some rogue businesses may treat a fine as another cost of trading so losing the right to sell vapes would be much harder to ignore.

Ministers already have the powers they need to get started. Waiting until 2027 even to consult on licensing is hard to justify when children are buying these products now. The consultation should be brought forward, with a clear timetable for introducing licensing alongside mandatory independent testing.

The Budget makes it clearer that the Government is planning on continuing to ramp up pressure on vape shops, but why are they delaying action when they have already legislated?

Packaging and display restrictions may have a part to play, but they can’t answer the two most important questions: what’s inside the product, and who’s allowed to sell it? We can’t let children shouldn’t be left to find out the answers the hard way.

Professor Will Carroll is a consultant paediatrician and Dr Ahmed Ezzat is an NHS resident cancer specialist