Starting from June 1, the UK began to completely ban the sale of disposable e-cigarettes. This ban is aimed at addressing the increasing prevalence of disposable e-cigarettes among young people and solving the environmental pollution risks they bring.
According to the new regulations, all retail outlets, including convenience stores and supermarkets, are not allowed to sell disposable e-cigarettes. Merchants who violate the rules for the first time will be fined 200 pounds and the relevant products will be confiscated. Repeated violators will face unlimited fines and even up to 2 years in prison.
According to the British Ministry of Environment, for a long time, disposable e-cigarettes have not only been discarded at will, destroying the cleanliness of the streets, but also making young people easily addicted to nicotine. The implementation of the ban is imminent. In addition, the fire department also issued a warning that disposable e-cigarettes discarded at will are very likely to ignite other garbage, thus causing fires.
Survey data from the British medical charity "Action on Smoking and Health" shows that about 11% of British adults have the habit of smoking e-cigarettes, and this proportion is about 18% among young people aged 11 to 17. Among those aged 18 to 24 who smoke e-cigarettes, more than half prefer disposable e-cigarettes. Although e-cigarettes do not contain harmful tar ingredients, they also pose health risks because they contain addictive substances such as nicotine.
In recent years, in order to protect public health, especially to prevent young people from contacting e-cigarettes, many European countries have taken actions one after another. Belgium and France have successfully banned the sale of disposable e-cigarettes, and Ireland is also preparing similar ban measures.