In fact citing these figures, supermarkets brand Waitrose has recently said that it could no longer justify selling single-use products and has hence removed them from its shelves. “Our move comes as reports suggest that the market growth is being fuelled by the popularity among those who haven’t previously smoked,” it said. This statement was released despite a recent ONS report saying that in fact only 1.5% of people who have never smoked said they vaped.
Similarly, the annual YouGov youth survey for Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) carried out in March and published on July 7th, has indicated an increase in teen vaping and experimentation via disposable vapes.
Current vaping among U.K. children aged 11-17 was up from 4% in 2020 to 7% in 2022, reported the survey. While the percentage of teens who reported ever having tried vaping has increased from 14% in 2020 to 16% in 2022. In line with other reports, the survey found that disposable vapes are currently the most commonly used types of devices, with a concerning increase from 7% in 2020 and 8% n 2021, to 52% in 2022.
Similarly last January, online vape platform IndeJuice reported a 279% increase in sales of disposable vapes in the final quarter of 2021 compared to the one before according to The Mirror. Flavours including “fruit” and “ice” accounted for 60% of sales.
The price of disposables makes them accessible to teens
Being cheap and disposable, teens are more likely to purchase one, and adding to the mix their generally light colours and fruity flavours, they tend to give the impression they are harmless. However, pointed out recently Dr Gareth Nye, a lecturer and researcher at the University of Chester, this is not the case.
“There is limited scientific evidence regarding these products, mainly [regarding] the liquid used to vape with rather than the vaping device itself as they have continued to change over the last ten years,” he said.
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