Single-use vaping is a scourge of society that must be tackled – Scotsman comment

Health and environmental concerns about single-use vapes and the rising numbers of children using these potentially harmful products means government action is necessary

When vaping was first introduced, it was hailed as a valuable tool to wean people off smoking. However, since then, while it has helped many people quit tobacco, the rise of single-use vapes has become a scourge of society.

It is estimated that up to 26 million disposable vapes were used in Scotland in just a year by more than 540,000 people, nearly a tenth of whom were under the age of 16. Children, it seems, are particularly drawn to single-use devices, perhaps because these are easier to discard, enabling them to conceal their habit from parents and teachers more easily.

The valuable batteries could be recharged 500 times if the product’s design allowed this, but instead they are simply thrown away. They also contribute a sizeable amount of greenhouse gases. And, what’s more, illegal vapes bought online – often in sweet flavours designed to appeal to children – can provide their users with doses of harmful chemicals and dangerous metals like lead, nickel and chromium. Health experts have warned vaping can lead to cardiovascular disease and that nicotine can harm the developing adolescent brain.

The Scotsman has previously made its concerns clear about Lorna Slater’s fitness to be a member of the Scottish Government. However, the circular economy minister's pledge to take action on single-use vapes, following a review setting out a number of options, is to be praised. Slater rightly said that they had become a “big problem – for our environment, local communities and young people”.

In another most welcome step, she also said she would invite UK ministers to discuss the findings of the report. If the Scottish Government goes ahead with its own ban on single-use vapes, one of several potential steps recommended by the review, and this requires an exemption from the UK Internal Market Act, then it must be granted before businesses are required to incur any expense. There must not be a repeat of the deposit return scheme fiasco.

Given the extent of the problems, we hope the Westminster government is receptive to Slater’s desire to tackle them. It is hard to imagine a good reason not to be.