Vaping has gained popularity as an alternative to traditional smoking, but it poses significant health risks.
It can lead to respiratory issues, cardiovascular problems, and addiction. This has been a pressing concern among the medical professionals.
Research has revealed that one million people in England now vape without ever being regular smokers, marking a seven-fold increase in just three years. This surge has raised significant concerns among health experts.
E-cigarette use among adults who had never regularly smoked remained stable until 2021, when approximately one in 200—around 133,000 individuals—were vapers. However, this figure surged sharply to one in 28 by 2024, totaling 1,006,000 people, according to a study published in ‘The Lancet Public Health’ journal.
Separate figures from the Office for National Statistics also published shows 5.1 million people aged 16 or over in Britain – about one in 10 – use e-cigarettes. Vaping rates were highest among those aged 16 to 24, at 15.8%, the ONS found.
Ministers are reportedly exploring a ban on vaping in playgrounds, hospital grounds, and near schools to discourage children from taking up the habit. This initiative aims to protect young people from the potential health risks associated with e-cigarettes.
Speaking to Asian Voice, Professor Sarah Jackson, a Principal Research Fellow at UCL, emphasised the urgent need for new policies to curb rising vaping rates among non-smokers. She noted that current measures are insufficient to prevent this trend, highlighting the necessity for more effective regulations. She said, “The previous government almost passed a tobacco and vapes bill before the snap election earlier this year, and these findings should remind the new government that passing the bill should be a top priority. The plan was for new legislation to give the government powers to regulate a number of aspects of vapes, including how they are branded, marketed, and sold. Despite the sharp increase in vaping among people who’ve never regularly smoked, our data also show that overall vaping rates appear to have levelled off since 2023.”
“This may help to reassure policymakers that it would be reasonable to begin with measures focussed on product appearance, packaging and marketing, as those are least likely to reduce the effectiveness of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation. The UK has excellent vaping and smoking surveillance and will be able to provide a rapid appraisal of the impact of these measures on youth vaping,” she added.
Professor Sanjay Agrawal, special adviser on tobacco at the Royal College of Physicians, said, “Vapes can play a crucial role in helping tobacco smokers to quit. However, we are clear that non-smokers should not use vapes. The number of non and never-smokers who are now vaping is alarming. The research into the effects of vaping on health is still in its infancy and it is clear that more needs to be done to understand its long-term effects. We know now that vaping exposes users to a far narrower range of toxins than does smoking cigarettes, but vaping is still not without risk.”
“It is critical that the government does more to curb the rising levels of vaping – particularly amongst children and young people – by restricting flavour descriptors and addressing industry marketing tactics which target children. But while doing so, we must ensure that adult smokers can continue to access them as an effective quit aid,” he added.
