The UK has taken new measures against the use electronic cigarettes among children
In a statement made by the UK Prime Minister's Office Number 10, it was stated that the number of children using electronic cigarettes has tripled in the last three years, and 9 per cent of children between the ages of 11-15 use electronic cigarettes.
In the statement emphasising that the number of children aged 11-17 using disposable electronic cigarettes has increased 9 times in the last 2 years, it was reported that it was decided to reduce the aroma in electronic cigarettes, to make the packages less conspicuous and not to be sold in a way to be seen in the markets.
The statement also noted that the sale of non-cigarette products containing nicotine to children will also be banned.
In the statement, it was stated that those who sell these products to children will be fined 2,500 pounds (approximately 96 thousand liras), and a budget of 30 million pounds (approximately 1.1 billion liras) will be allocated to combat electronic cigarette smuggling and sales within the country.
In the statement, it was reminded that only adults who want to quit smoking are encouraged to use electronic cigarettes, and it was shared that between 50 thousand and 70 thousand people quit smoking with this method annually.
On the other hand, the statement also emphasised that discarded electronic cigarettes cause fires in garbage trucks or waste facilities.
"The sale of electronic cigarettes to children is unacceptable"
In the statement, it was stated that with the new application, measures were taken for the environment as well as public health, and it was stated that approximately 5 million disposable electronic cigarettes were thrown away every week last year, and this number was 1.3 million weekly in 2022.
Underlining that the lithium batteries in 5 million disposable electronic cigarettes thrown away are equal to 5 thousand electric vehicle batteries, the statement also included the evaluations of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the Ministers of Health and Environment.
Pointing out that the long-term effects of electronic cigarettes on human health are unknown, Sunak said, "Although electronic cigarettes are useful in quitting smoking, their sale to children is unacceptable. As Prime Minister, it is my duty to do the right thing for our country in the long term. For this reason, I am taking steps against disposable cigarettes."
Health Minister Victoria Atkins said: "Smoking is the biggest preventable cause of death in England. Almost every minute someone is admitted to hospital with a smoking-related cause. This costs our society £ 17 billion (approximately 655 billion pounds) every year and puts a huge burden on our health system."
Environment Minister Steve Barclay pointed out that millions of disposable electronic cigarettes, which are very difficult to recycle, are thrown away.
With the decisions announced last year, the UK government had taken a series of measures, including increasing the smoking age every year, to ensure that those born after 2009 could not buy tobacco and electronic cigarette products throughout their lives.
In this context, the government, which announced the "first smoke-free generation" target, announced that a fund of £ 100 million will be created to establish a task force to prevent cigarette smuggling, regulate sales standards and supervise sales in the next 5 years.
