Vaping Epidemic

My neighbour has two teenage boys and she is very concerned about them vaping. It’s prevalent at their school and she’s at a loss as to how to stop it. Both boys work so have their own money.

Maybe it varies from area to area.

I have been doing that in the mornings this week Casdon on school drop off, I park near the school and haven’t seen any teenagers vaping.
The people I do see vape are those generally from their early 30’s upwards, the majority have given up cigarettes and are using a vape instead.

There has been a good report on R4 exploring the issue and it has been marked up as a real problem.

I think removing the flavour content would help and this measure could be taken fairly quickly by law.

You can also buy vapes with different strengths, btw, probably it's not widely known unless you vape. The standard is 2% but you could legislate for less: however that would remove its value for coming off smoking as a transition help. (ie necessary to start at 2%)

Anyone with a car should park near a secondary school at chucking out time and see what happens. Maybe you will see some vaping, could be interesting.

It’s not exactly an epidemic Caleo.
ash.org.uk/uploads/Use-of-e-cigarettes-among-young-people-in-Great-Britain-2022.pdf
Compare vaping numbers to smoking prevalence now and 20 years ago
stateofchildhealth.rcpch.ac.uk/evidence/health-behaviours/smoking-young-people/

Callistemon21

I've never seen a child vaping SueDonim but that's not to say they don't!

Yes, I meant teenagers too.

I say children, Callistemon as in teenagers, not primary-age children. Now I come to think of it, I didn’t see any cigarettes on sale or vape shops. I must ask my US family where such things are sold because it doesn’t seem to be in the usual places.

Information on teens in USA
www.destinationsforteens.com/destinations-blog/5-drugs-commonly-abused-by-teens/

I vape as I've managed to stop smoking after about 18 years. Some of the flavours actually do tase very attractive. I've tried out of curiosity like the lemon and lime ones, btw. Its no surprise to me they have become so attractive

Specific vape shops aren't necessary the culprit, some have very high standards and indeed it easier to "police" specific shops:

You can get them at the corner shop easily: there is also a big black market for them just as there is a big black market for cheap tobacco.

It is an enormous problem.

the only stop smoking help you can get from the NHS on prescription are nicotine patches. You cannot get vapes or chewing gum so you have to be prepared to pay.

I haven't got any easy answers, for although common sense tells me that by banning all those tempting flavours you will reduce its attractiveness, it may just all go underground like cannabis.

I've never seen a child vaping SueDonim but that's not to say they don't!

I’ve just returned from two weeks in the US. I can count on one hand the number of people who I saw either smoking or vaping, none of whom were children. It just doesn’t seem to be a thing in the US. It’s not as if they don’t have as many problems as the UK!

Of course it's great if the Police get kids to try and buy them from the shops, like they do for booze or alcohol, then step in and fine the shopkeeper and stop him selling them.

Do they need a licence to sell vapes? If so then that can be revoked permanently if they sell to kids.

Due to all the fruity flavours and colours they have turned out to be worse than cigarettes for enticing children. Although the flavours apparently are horrible and my daughter says they smell disgusting.

The only way is for the government to tax them to hell and back like the cigarettes! Then the only way you can then get them cheap or free is by prescription from your doctor when giving up cigarettes.

When a child is addicted to nicotine vapes she should be given a recuperative period off school for coming off nicotine

Parents at work, child at home alone or friends coming round because they're trying to overcome a nicotine addiction too?

Counter-productive and a recipe for disaster.

Shut down vaping shops that sell these products to children, reinforce how dangerous these products are and ban them from being produced in these enticing flavours. Make them taste of tobacco for those adults who simply do not have the willpower to give up nicotine.

Just ban them full stop.

Give them time off school to get over vaping? Jeez, they'd be queueing up at the door!

Secondary schools have had to restrict toilet visits in class time because of pupils vaping in school toilets. Those vaping have also bullied other pupils with genuine reasons for urgent toilet visits.
News media quickly publicised a few pupils demanding free access to toilets. No mention was made of vaping as being the cause of the issue .