Vape-addicted children should be offered nicotine patches to help wean them off, say health officials.
A Public Health Wales (PHW) report also urged a ban on disposable vapes and names like bubblegum or watermelon. PHW’s incident response group (IRG) final report said vaping should be seen as a dependency issue, rather than pupil misconduct. However, the UK Vaping Industry Association has said banning vapes will “turbo-charge the black market”. The IRG has been investigating the rapid rise in vaping among children and young people in Wales. As part of the report, the group spoke to a number of young people who said they experienced cravings, shaking and appetite changes when they tried to quit vapes. Chris Emmerson, a PHW consultant, said it was essential the rise in youth vaping must be “addressed with urgency”. “Nicotine replacement therapies, which are already offered to people aged over 12 who are smoking, is one tool that could help… in tandem with other support mechanisms,” he said.
What do people think of the proposals?
Michael Lindon, 30, said he does not think offering nicotine patches to help young people with a nicotine dependency is the best way forward. “I went to a school in the valleys and if you have a patch on you’d just get ridiculed. I think the best option would be the non-nicotine vapes,” he said. “One way or another, it’s the same with smoking, when I was younger, kids weren’t allowed to do it, but they still find a way.” Curtis Watson, 23, said: “I vape about, all day, every day. It’s quite bad. I feel like once you start, you don’t stop then. “Because of the colourful packages and the flavours, even if I was younger, I think I would have bought them.” Mollie Jones, 22, said seeing her friends using vapes prompted her to start, and now she was addicted. “I think [vapes] are aimed at younger people and 18-year-olds because I wouldn’t go for, like, skittles flavour, I’d go for something more normal. “The generation before us smoked cigarettes, we just smoke vapes, so what’s the difference?” It has been illegal in the UK to sell vapes to under 18 since 2015, although both the UK and Welsh governments have said they plan to bring in further legislation to reduce the appeal and availability of vapes. “By implementing these practices, we can better address the complex needs of children and young people struggling with vaping dependency,” added Mr Emmerson.
