Ministers in England are mulling to ban vaping in playgrounds, hospital grounds, and near schools in an attempt to prevent children from taking up the habit. Wes Streeting, the health secretary, is proposing to restrict the use of e-cigarettes outdoors in England. The move has also garnered support from Chris Whitty, the country’s chief medical officer for England, The Guardian reported.
As per the report, the restrictions will include the consumption of tobacco and vapes in the aforementioned areas, and a bill regarding this is due to be presented to the parliament in the coming weeks. Whitty also plans to include pub gardens in the ban. However, no final decision has been made in this regard.
The move came a week after a study found that 1 million people in England now vape despite having been regular smokers in the past. This marked a seven-fold increase in just three years. When it comes to e-cigarette use among adults who have never regularly had cigarettes, the figure remained stable only until 2021.
However, the proportion increased sharply to one in 28 in 2024 – 1,006,000 people – according to the study published in the Lancet Public Health journal. Vaping figures concerning among adults in the UK According to separate figures released by the Office for National Statistics, 5.1 million people aged 16 or over in Britain – about one in 10 – use e-cigarettes.
Not only this, vaping rates are higher among those aged between 16 to 24. “Vaping has helped millions.