UCL Research Says Disposable Vape Ban Could Impact 1.2 Million Adult Smokers

While the world focuses on teen vaping and preventing the youth from developing nicotine addictions, the medicinal value of vapes as NRTs runs the risk of becoming overlooked.

University College of London recently commented on the proposed disposable vape ban within England and Wales. Their views? Researchers say that the ban will prevent some 300k young people from taking up vaping. By harsh comparison, however, they also pointed out that the ban could have ramifications for a further 1.2 million adults who may have otherwise used disposable vape devices to help them quit smoking. This reinforces what we all know: that correct regulation for one group of vape users is incorrect for another.

• E-cigarette ban will affect approximately 2.6 million people in England and Wales
• Of those, this group includes 316,000 18-24 year old vape users who have never smoked
• Of the 2.6 million, 1.2 million are current smokers who would benefit from switching to vape devices
• These 1.2 million smokers could lose out on switching to the safer vaping option due to the rising prices of reusable vape models
• This issue is further compounded by the addition of the vape tax, which could see 10ml bottles of vape juice cost up to £3 more per bottle

The University College of London have been conducting a series of experiments into vaping, especially aimed at the long term use of vape devices and any potential harm they may do.

The study was carried out on behalf of Cancer Research UK who have been noticeably vocal in urging smokers to make the switch. Vape devices are harm reduction measures when it comes to the cancers associated with smoking. The study, published in the Public health Journal, took just shy of 70,000 participants’ answers to gather data.

The study found that adult use of vape devices had risen from 0.1% to 4.9% in the last year. Other questions revealed new statistics, too. Those who had never smoked made up only 1.5% of all vape device users except within the 18-24 year old demographic. In this age group, the number rose to 7.1%.

The lead author on the paper, Dr Sarah Jackson of the UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, said that “While banning disposables might seem like a straightforward solution to reduce youth vaping, it could have substantial unintended consequences for people who smoke.”

In the current economic crisis, the easiest way to make the switch from smoking is to try out a disposable vape device. If you were to fork out immediately for a rechargeable vape device at £20+ from the first moment, without even knowing if you like vaping or not, it might put you off making that healthier switch. This is especially true of those living in low income households and impoverished areas.

You can buy vape devices through Vapedirect.com or through our online shop. With the looming ban, we recommend stocking up on disposable vape devices in advance, should they contain your favourite flavours. You can view our bulk deals here, such as 2 disposable vapes for £10 or 10 disposable vapes for £45.