British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has been urged to rethink tough new laws to restrict vaping amid fears it could fuel a massive black market.
Australian politicians who pioneered a similar crackdown have said it was exploited by criminal gangs and led to violent turf wars that are still out of control.
Fiona Patten, former leader of the Australia’s Reason Party, urged Sir Keir: “Don’t do it. You are doing so well in reducing smoking. So much better than Australia. Why would you follow Australia when our smoking rates have stagnated, and organised crime runs our vaping supply and a third of our tobacco market?
“The Australia ban has certainly never reduced the prevalence of vapes. Because Australia has banned all products it has probably perversely increased the prevalence.
“All a ban will do is hand over the business to illegal operators which will not help in controlling youth use.”
Sir Keir recently announced plans to re-introduce the controversial Tobacco and Vapes Bill originally proposed by his Conservative predecessor Rishi Sunak.
As well as imposing a new age limit making it illegal for anyone born after 2009 to ever buy tobacco, it will give ministers power to impose an immediate ban on certain types of vapes. This is expected to include single-use disposable vapes and many flavours. There will also be restrictions on packaging and shop displays.
However, Australian politicians say outlawing vaping there has just created a booming black market.
In January, Australia banned disposable vapes along with the sale or use of any vape that contains nicotine without a doctor’s prescription, going further than the current plans in the UK. It later backtracked on the prescription-only plan, but vapes remain available for sale only from pharmacies.
A recent report by the parliament in the state of Victoria - which has a population smaller than London’s - found the illicit vape market could now be worth an enormous £258 million.
Australia’s warning has been echoed by anti-smoking campaigners in the UK, who say vaping is far less harmful than smoking cigarettes and an essential tool in helping people to quit.
Deborah Arnott, chief executive of anti-smoking campaigners Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), said many people still wrongly believe that vaping is just as harmful as cigarette smoking.
She said: “There are millions of smokers who may, as a result, never try the most effective and easily available quitting aid, the e-cigarette.”
Caitlin Notley, professor of addiction studies at the University of East Anglia, said: “Our data does suggest that one unintended consequence of a complete ban on disposables would be that young people would choose to purchase illicit products, or potentially use tobacco instead.”
