The illegal sale of e-cigarettes is harming our children - Rachael Musgrave

The illegal sale of e-cigarettes is harming our children - Rachael Musgrave

E-cigarettes, or vapes as they’ve become known, were developed to help people to stop smoking - one of the biggest causes of death and illness in the UK and here in Wigan Borough. However, whilst e-cigarettes can be an effective quitting tool for smokers, it is not risk free, particularly for people who have never smoked.

Most e-cigarettes still contain highly addictive nicotine, and the long-term effects of e-cigarettes are not yet known. There has also been an emergence of illegal e-cigarettes that do not comply with UK regulations and have not been through appropriate safety testing.

Selling e-cigarettes to under 18’s is illegal. Despite this there has been a rise in children and young people using e-cigarettes. In 2023 Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) reported that nationwide, 20.5 per cent of Children had tried vaping, up from 15.8 per cent in 2022 and 13.9 per cent in 2020.

The increase in youth vaping has coincided with the arrival on the UK market of a new category of cheap and attractive disposable vapes that have proven particularly popular with children and young people and have been promoted extensively on social media.

To signal Wigan Council’s full commitment to tackling illegal e-cigarette sales, a motion was passed during this week’s Full Council meeting, to protect the health of our children and young people from vaping.

Through our Trading Standards team, Wigan Council has already been proactively and effectively tackling illegal sales. Most recently there has been a number of seizures from six shops across Wigan, Leigh and Hindley, following allegations the shops were illegally selling vapes to children. These seizures were worth around £16,000. Some of these e-cigarettes held ten times the legal limit of e-liquid and many had incorrect information, labelling and packaging, putting people - particularly young people - at risk.

Taking action to seize illegal vapes is crucial to protect people from harm, especially our children and young people, and whilst we continue to encourage smokers to quit using e-cigarettes, we must also prevent the marketing and sale of vapes to children. Nationally we need tighter regulations around advertising and marketing as well as stronger licensing and regulation of vapes to protect children and young people from harm and the risk of setting them up for a life-long and dangerous smoking habit.

I would encourage all parents and carers to proactively speak to their children about the use of vapes and explain the risks and dangers associated with them. If anyone wishes to report underage sales of vapes they can ring in confidence 0808 223 1133 or email ts@wigan.gov.uk.