Vapes are targeting youngsters - Angus Robertson

According to the British Medical Association (BMA), approximately 4 per cent of youth (ages 11-17) in Great Britain are now frequent users of vapes. Research tells us nearly 20 per cent of young people have tried vaping.

Available flavours, such as bubblegum and cola are clearly made to target a younger audience, and making vapes in bright “fun” colours is not on and needs to be stamped out. This needs to stop, which is why we are banning single-use vapes in the UK and banning the purchase of tobacco for anyone born after January 1, 2009.

I am pleased that, following a consultation on “Creating a Smokefree Generation and Tackling Youth Vaping” which ran across Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland last year, ministers in all four nations of the UK have agreed to take forward the recommendations.

With pressures on the NHS greater than ever, and with smoke and vaping being an exacerbating factor on Covid severity, we need to be serious about our respective responsibilities to look after our own health.

The public is onside with this, particularly in Scotland. Here, 82.3 per cent supported restrictions on single-use vapes (compared to 79.3 per cent UK-wide), and 73.4 per cent favoured an outright ban (compared to 68.1 per cent UK-wide).

Part of this legislation will be put into place by the UK Government, and the specific ban on single-use vapes will be taken forward by Scottish ministers.