Leading doctors and councils have welcomed reports that ministers are preparing to ban single-use vapes in the UK, but others have expressed fears a ban could lead to a “flood” of illegal products on the market.
David Fothergill, chair of the Local Government Association’s community wellbeing board, said the association was “very pleased” about news of the proposed ban. However, Scott Butler, executive director at Material Focus, an environmental charity, is worried that a ban could lead to “hard to control illegal sales and an established illegal vape market”. He said: “If the legitimate industry is banned, then there will be no mechanism to deal with all the operational challenges and costs of illegally sold vapes which have the same challenges.”every week, a fourfold increase on 2022.