Recent news coverage has highlighted how vaping is becoming a very real problem especially for young people, and at a recent debate in the Senedd I highlighted how the high doses of nicotine combined with the low prices of vapes are enabling children and teenagers to develop dreadful addictions. The problem is made worse by the fact that the vaping devices, with a liquid usually containing nicotine, are colourfully marketed with attractive fruity flavours in a deliberate attempt to captivate the wrong users.
Vapes were intended to be used to help encourage people to stop smoking, yet, with many young people now taking up the habit without being smokers beforehand, they have now become the problem. Reports have shown that 1 in 5 learners from Year 7 to 11 have tried vapes and 5% of secondary-aged learners reported use of vapes regularly.
The prolific use of vapes in schools and the effect it is having on behaviour is a major concern of mine. Nicotine addiction can cause problems with attention, mood, and sleep- all things that impact time at school. With thousands of cases of classroom violence recorded in Wales, I worry that vaping will only cause this issue to worsen.
Problems also occur with more readily available black-market vaping products. These devices can be dangerous, with people mixing unregulated e-liquids and potentially increasing nicotine doses to unsafe amounts. Some black market e-liquids have even been found to contain metals like lead.
The UK Government is concerned with these developments, and the Prime Minister has now announced tighter controls on the sale of vaping products. I believe this is a forward-thinking approach and is a necessary public health policy that will help create a healthier nation.
Vaping is a problem that I believe we all need to get behind. There isn’t just a quick solution to stop those under the age of 18 from getting hold of vapes, what is needed are additional measures to restrict fruity vape flavours, make the packaging of these devices less appealing to younger people and increase the fines for those who sell black-market vaping products. We need to urgently tackle the sensation that is captivating our children and young people before it is too late.
ENDS
