Ealing Council calls for a full ban on disposable e-cigarettes in 2024

Ealing Council has passed a motion calling for a full ban on disposable e-cigarettes in its jurisdiction in 2024. While the Labour Party, Liberal Democrats, and Conservatives generally share the same view on this issue, the voting process was not without typical political squabbles.

The Liberal Democrats' motion calls for the council to use all its enforcement and licensing powers to restrict the ability of shops in the jurisdiction to sell disposable e-cigarettes.

Several Labour councillors responded by saying there are more pressing issues to address and defended the council's record on enforcement of licensing objectives. However, spokespersons from all parties agreed that the issue of e-cigarettes and protecting children is a priority for the jurisdiction.

Connie Hersch, the councillor who proposed the motion, expressed her concerns about marketing cigarette alternatives to children. "The worst offenders are disposable e-cigarettes; they are cheap, colorful, and flavored like candy, and they have found a new market—children and teenagers."

Following her speech, councillor Bassam Mahfouz expressed his unease about some shop owners' insufficient concern regarding children purchasing e-cigarettes during his time in the cabinet. He cited an example of a shop that had been selling nicotine products to children in school uniforms.

"I know of a specific shop that not only sells [e-cigarettes] to young people but also directly sells to those in school uniforms after school hours."

Despite these concerns, the Labour Party's amendment removed the Liberal Democrats' efforts to use licensing measures to stop the sale of e-cigarettes, instead praising the council officials' enforcement work. Councillor Deirdre Costigan also mentioned the ecological impact of e-cigarettes, citing the fact that 5 million disposable e-cigarettes are discarded weekly in the UK.

Disposable e-cigarettes are cheap, attractively packaged, brightly colored, and pose significant health issues, as well as fire hazards for households and garbage trucks, and generate a large amount of waste.

E-cigarettes are intended to help existing adult smokers quit smoking. However, some e-cigarettes contain higher levels of chemicals than cigarettes and may contain heavy metals such as lead, chromium, and nickel (neurotoxins, allergens, and harmful to brain development) as well as other compounds like micro-carcinogenic carbonyls. This is particularly concerning for the rising number of minors using e-cigarettes.

Since 2022, the number of children trying e-cigarettes has increased by nearly 50%, with disposable e-cigarettes being the most popular among children. A study by ASH shows that over 40% of 11 to 18-year-olds who have tried e-cigarettes had never smoked before.

The government recently ended a public consultation on potential smoking and vaping bans due to political pressure and the NHS's burden from related activities.

The amended motion was nearly unanimously approved, but it remains unclear how it will be implemented, and without government support, a full ban in the jurisdiction seems unfeasible.