{"id":23893,"date":"2025-04-15T08:29:01","date_gmt":"2025-04-15T08:29:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/?p=23893"},"modified":"2025-04-15T08:29:06","modified_gmt":"2025-04-15T08:29:06","slug":"tobacco-and-vapes-bill-moves-closer-to-becoming-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/post\/tobacco-and-vapes-bill-moves-closer-to-becoming-law\/","title":{"rendered":"Tobacco and Vapes Bill moves closer to becoming law"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The UK\u2019s controversial Tobacco and Vapes Bill has taken a major step closer to becoming law.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It has completed its report stage and third reading in the House of Commons with its second reading in the House of Lords scheduled for April 23. If approved, it will move to committee stage before it can be granted final Royal Ascent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bill<\/a> aims to stop anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 from ever legally smoking tobacco, creating a \u201csmoke-free generation.\u201d It also clamps down on vaping, with the aim of making it less accessible and appealing to children and young people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Measures include a ban on vape flavours that are considered to have \u201cyouth appeal\u201d such as cotton candy and bubble gum. However it will also outlaw fruit flavours, which are the most popular among smokers trying to quit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vapes will be required to have plain packaging and shops must move them out of sight of children and away from products that might appeal to them. Advertising and sponsorship of vapes, as well as selling them in vending machines, will also be banned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Concerns over the Bill\u2019s practicality and ethics <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A new government update on the Bill says: \u201cThe Bill is similar to the Tobacco and Vapes Bill 2023\u201324, introduced by the previous (Conservative) government, which fell at dissolution 2024. During the Bill\u2019s Commons proceedings, MPs noted the new bill includes further measures, including more regulation-making powers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe aims of the Bill received broad support in the Commons, though some members expressed concerns about specific measures and the practicality and ethics of their implementation.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Disposable vapes are to be banned from June 1 under separate legislation brought by the Department for Food, the Environment and Rural Affairs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Government responds to petition against flavour ban<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the Labour government has responded to a petition against the vape flavour ban<\/a> after it was signed by almost 12,000 people. When a petition supasses 10,000 signatures, the government is obligated to reply. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The petition says: \u201dWe want the Government to not give Ministers powers to restrict vape flavours in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, as we believe it will undermine efforts to help smokers quit. Some studies show flavoured vapes can help people stop smoking, and we think limiting options risks pushing users back to cigarettes or other products, endangering public health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201dWe believe flavoured vaping products already play a crucial role in helping smokers quit smoking cigarettes. We believe that restricting flavours would bring more harm, reversing smoking cessation progress and pushing users to dangerous black-market products.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Potential impact on smokers wanting to quit<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Department of Health and Social Care said it would carefully consider the potential impact on people trying to give up smoking before the legislation comes into force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It said: \u201cFurther consultation will occur before introduction of any specific restrictions on vape flavours. To avoid unintended consequences on smoking rates, any restrictions will be carefully considered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur health advice is clear, whilst vapes can be an effective quit aid for adult smokers, children should never vape. Due to the branding and advertising of vapes to children, youth vaping has more than doubled in the last five years and one-in-four 11-15-year olds tried vaping in 2023. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Due to nicotine content and the unknown long-term harms, vapes and nicotine products carry risk of harm and addiction; this is particularly acute for adolescents whose lungs and brains are still developing.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat is why this Government is committed to bringing about definitive and positive change to stop future generations from becoming hooked on nicotine – and the Tobacco and Vapes Bill includes landmark policies to achieve this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Tobacco and Vapes Bill includes measures and powers that will reduce the appeal and availability of all vapes and other nicotine products to children. Amongst the regulation making powers is one that will enable government to introduce future limits on flavours.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The UK\u2019s controversial Tobacco and Vapes Bill has taken a major step closer to becoming law. It has completed its report stage and third reading in the House of Commons with its second reading in the House of Lords scheduled for April…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":990005,"featured_media":23894,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[257,258],"tags":[186],"slider":[],"class_list":["post-23893","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-legislation","tag-nicotine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23893","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/990005"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23893"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23893\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23900,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23893\/revisions\/23900"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23894"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23893"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23893"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23893"},{"taxonomy":"slider","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/slider?post=23893"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}