WHY I BACK A BAN ON SOME VAPES - BUT NOT ALL OF THEM

I’VE long been an advocate for electronic cigarettes, or vapes, so you might be surprised to know that I am also 100 per cent behind a proposed ban on disposable vapes.

E-cigarettes are brilliant for smokers – countless studies have shown that using them can help smokers to ditch cigarettes and they are much less harmful. Those looking to quit tend to use the more expensive, refillable and rechargeable vapes, which will still be available after the ban.

The issue is the cheap, disposable vapes which come in fruity flavours and fancy packaging, and are often placed near sweets or on shop counters – with the aim of marketing to children.

There are many downsides to all vapes: they do contain nicotine – which is highly addictive – and we don’t yet know what the long-term effects are of inhaling the vapour.

Paediatricians I speak to are worried about youngsters’ lung health and schools are noticing difficult behaviour in kids addicted to the nicotine in vapes. The habit is far too normalised and should be restricted to what it was originally designed for: helping adults to stop smoking.