On the surface, the UK’s new Tobacco and Vapes Bill is a noble step. A smoke-free generation. Kids protected. A healthier future. Who could argue with that? But scratch beneath the surface and you’ll find a story less talked about in Westminster—a story of imbalance, tunnel vision, and a potential public health own goal.
It’s a one-sided conversation. A war on youth vaping that completely forgets adult vapers. The Bill talks tough on flavours, packaging, and access—but says almost nothing about black markets, harm reduction, or what happens to the millions of smokers who’ve quit using these products.
It’s not just imbalanced—it’s dangerous.
A Room Full of Concern… But Only for One Side of the Story
You couldn’t miss the focus: youth vaping. Peer after peer took to the floor, echoing the same alarm.
Baroness McIntosh of Pickering warned that disposables and flavours are “fuelling an epidemic among school-aged children.” Baroness Merron called it “appalling” that vapes are still so accessible to young people. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath doubled down, saying vaping products are being marketed with flavours and packaging that mimic sweets and toys, designed to pull in kids.
No one’s denying these concerns. Protecting under-18s should absolutely be part of the strategy. But when the entire debate is dominated by this one lens, it leaves a glaring question:
Where is the voice for adult smokers and vapers?
Where was the acknowledgement that millions have successfully switched from cigarettes to vaping? Where was the recognition that adult harm reduction is also public health?
In Parliament’s rush to protect the young, it’s forgotten the rest.
The Black Market: The Risk No One’s Talking About
Among all the voices, only one dared bring up a topic that should’ve been front and centre: the illicit vape trade.
Lord Moylan was the lone voice pointing out what happens when access to legal, regulated vaping products becomes too restricted:
“If we make legal access to vaping products too difficult or unattractive, we risk driving consumers towards unregulated, black-market sources.”
And that was it. No rebuttals. No follow-up. Just silence.
Yet anyone working in schools, public health, or retail will tell you—the black market is already here. Unregulated vapes are being sold on market stalls, in barber shops, online, even outside schools. They're cheap, unchecked, and often contain who-knows-what.
Regulate vaping too harshly, and you don’t kill the habit—you just change the dealer.
If we want a truly smoke-free and safe future, ignoring the illegal vape economy isn’t just naïve—it’s reckless.
Walking the Tightrope: Regulation Without Punishment
To their credit, a few peers did try to strike a balance—those who acknowledged the benefits of vaping for adult smokers.
Baroness Finlay of Llandaff said it straight: vaping is not harmless, but it’s significantly less harmful than smoking, and it’s helped countless people quit tobacco.
Lord Patel agreed, warning that we must not lose sight of vaping’s role in smoking cessation.
And yet, the Bill doesn’t reflect that balance. It proposes flavour restrictions, limits on packaging, and a framework that doesn’t distinguish between protecting children and punishing adults.
This is how you drive people back to cigarettes. Or worse—into the underground market for unregulated devices.
The “We Don’t Know Enough” Excuse
Several peers justified sweeping restrictions with a familiar fallback: uncertainty.
Lord Markham, the Health Minister, argued that while vaping is “likely less harmful” than smoking, the long-term effects are still unknown—so caution is needed.
Baroness Bennett said we’re pushing a “false narrative” that vaping is safe, and that it should be treated with the same scepticism as smoking.
But here’s the truth they’re skirting: we do know enough. Public Health England has stated time and again that vaping is at least 95% less harmful than smoking. Real-world data backs it. Millions of ex-smokers across the UK are living proof.
Long-term studies will take time. But when the alternative is smoking—a product that kills half its users—vaping isn’t just a safer option. It’s a public health opportunity.
The Voices Parliament Should Listen To
Baroness Fox of Buckley stood out in the debate—not just for her honesty, but for telling a story that gets lost in political noise.
A former smoker for 40 years, she told the House:
“I’m dreading the ban, to be honest... I stopped smoking using them. They’ve been a lifeline for me.”
She wasn’t talking about marketing gimmicks or flavours aimed at kids. She was talking about disposable banana and strawberry vapes—yes, flavours—because they worked. She even admitted she was “stocking up” ahead of the June 1st ban.
“I’ve got a stockpile. I’ve got about 20 of them at home.”
This isn’t a teenager abusing nicotine. It’s an adult, using a safer alternative to stay off cigarettes. And she’s being legislated out of her health choice.
This Isn’t a Ban on Just Flavours. It’s a Ban on Harm Reduction.
This Bill, as it stands, is lopsided. It’s strong where it should be nuanced. Loud where it should be careful. Focused where it should be flexible.
It tackles youth access—and it should. But it also risks dismantling the very tools that help adults quit.
It talks about flavours like they’re villains, with no nuance about which flavours appeal to adults and which are truly designed to target youth. It nods toward science but then ignores the harm reduction evidence. It completely blanks the black-market boom already happening across the country.
What Needs to Change
There’s still time to fix this. Parliament can still pass a Bill that protects children and empowers adults.
Here's how:
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Introduce flavour guidelines—not blanket bans—that clearly differentiate adult-use from youth targeting.
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Include exemptions for harm reduction professionals and NHS stop-smoking services.
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Prioritise enforcement against illegal vape sellers rather than restricting legal, regulated products.
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Run education campaigns on relative risks instead of stoking fear and uncertainty.
- Work with adult vapers and experts—not just anti-nicotine lobbyists—when shaping future laws.
In short: protect kids, yes. But don’t forget the millions of adults trying to stay off cigarettes. Don’t hand the market to criminals. And don’t kill the tools that are working.
Because if Parliament keeps going down this path, it won’t build a smoke-free generation. It’ll build a generation of fear, relapse, and unregulated risk.
And that’s a legacy no one wants to own.
