NICHS continues to support measures designed to decrease the level of smoking in the community, including the continued use of the ‘escalator’ regarding the level of taxation on tobacco and the new ‘progressive age’ ban on sales.
We support all the measures incorporated in the Tobacco and Vaping Bill currently being considered by the House of Commons. We are also increasingly concerned about the increasing use of vapes (e-cigarettes). NICHS believes there is increasing evidence about cardiac and respiratory illness being linked to vaping and we are particularly concerned about the rapid rise in the number of young people using vapes.
We welcome the proposed introduction of a levy on vaping devices and the fact that the levy increases in relation to the level of nicotine. In general, NICHS believes that vapes should only be used by existing smokers as a short term measure to assist smokers break their addiction. Specifically, they should only be used over a twelve-week period as part of recognised behavioural change programme.
Largely we concur with the views of the four Chief Medical Officers of the UK summed up by the following remark by Professor sir Chris Whitty, the CMO for England:
“The key points about vaping (e-cigarettes) can be easily summarised. If you smoke, vaping is much safer; if you don’t smoke, don’t vape; marketing vapes to children is utterly unacceptable.”
Vaping Facts
• The proportion of the adult population using e-cigarettes has increased this year to 8.3%, the highest rate ever, amounting to 4.3 million people in Great Britain.
• The most frequent type of e-cigarette device remains a refillable tank system, with 65% of current vapers reporting this type as their main device. Vapes with replaceable cartridges and disposable vapes were the main type of device for 17% and 15% of vapers, respectively.
• However, use of disposable vapes has risen, particularly among younger adults. 
• Among 18-24 year old, almost half of current e-cigarettes users (48%) use disposables as their main type in 2022, an increase from only 2.8% in 2021.
• The peak age group for current e-cigarette use in 2022 is 18–24-year-olds (11%) followed by 25-34 year old (11%), 35–44-year-olds (11%) and 45-54 year old (10%). People aged 55 and over had the lowest rate at 4.9%. The age distribution in 2022 has changed since 2021, where the 18–24-year-old age group had the lowest vaping rate at 5.0%.