Vapes of wrath
TODAY’S front page story kicks off Recycle Week by highlighting the environmental and safety impact of disposing of vapes in landfill, but that is far from the only concern associated with e-cigarettes.
Despite initially being lauded as an effective way to wean people off smoking, their child-friendly flavours and brightly coloured packaging has been blamed for the rise in vape usage among children, prompting the UK government last week to launch a consultation to help shape future policy on e-cigarettes and smoking.
In particular, the Health Secretary Steve Barclay vowed to tackle the marketing of vapes ‘like sweets’ to children.
Some experts, including the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza have called for an outright ban on disposable vapes.
While vaping has been proven to be less hazardous to health than smoking, it is far from risk-free, containing addictive and potentially harmful chemicals.
And it is an increasing issue among our island’s young people.
The most recent Guernsey young people’s survey found that 34% of boys and 45% of girls in Years 8 to 10 said they had at least tried vaping and the number claiming to vape regularly saw a sharp rise from just 2% in 2019 to 10% in 2022.
Regardless of the outcome of the UK consultation, for the sake of protecting our younger generation, perhaps this is an issue on which Guernsey could lead the way?