by Sareen Equality

all images by the photographer Amaya Lobato Rivas

The UK has decided to follow in the footsteps of the 33 countries around the world that have made the decision to ban disposable vapes.

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has introduced a new disposable vape ban bill aimed at decreasing underage nicotine consumption and addiction. This bill could be passed by the end of 2024 - general election permitting...

According to UK Addiction Treatment Centers, in 2023 nearly eight percent of British children were vape users. To put this in perspective, that is around a whopping 1,120,000 underage people who are consuming nicotine.

However, what are the implications of this national ban on the vaping industry and adult vape users?

Amidst the hazy clouds of uncertainty, I honed in on Whitechapel, a district in London with a high concentration of vape shops within one area. This is where we will begin to unravel the intricate relationship between local businesses, public sentiment and the potential ramifications of this proposed legislation. 

Delving into the perspectives of those who will be directly impacted, I had a deeply revealing interview with the owner of Vape and Bubble Tea Lagoon, who will be referred to as "Chris". He shed light on the potential challenges businesses will face, unveiling a nuanced narrative around the health implications of vaping and underage usage.

Chris feels strongly that new users of vapes, who have never smoked cigarettes or been addicted to nicotine before, were the reason why many feel like vaping negatively influences health.

“These people are coughing up blood. They’ve never smoked and…their issues are now affecting other people and this is why the government and doctors are now saying X, Y, Z." - Vape Shop Owner ‘Chris’

In 2003, e-cigarette were invented by a Chinese pharmacist Hon Lik who wanted to provide an alternative to the traditional and highly addictive cigarettes.

Texas Health and Human Services note that a study determined that vaping was more effective, compared to other nicotine replacements, in getting people to quit smoking cigarettes. However, this study also discovered that vaping could actually encourage adolescents to pick up smoking. Upon conducting street interviews, one conversation with 16-year-old Whitechapel resident, Manny, supports this idea. 

“I mean personally like, shit, I don’t even smoke and I’m vaping… It’s stupid. It doesn’t make sense not to ban them really. I think it’s a good thing and I think there’s so many people getting into vaping because they can.” - Manny

As an underage disposable vape user, he believes that vaping is so popular because these products are easily accessible for people within his age range. He also notes that vaping while young is very prevalent because of peer influence.

He admits that even though people will attempt to find a way to purchase these products after the ban, he still believes that limiting the access will help cut down on his personal usage. Though, when it comes to legal age users, Chris feels like this will negatively impact and potentially revert the progress of cigarette addictions. 

“I just feel like people who were smoking these disposables, vaping, they’ll go back to where they originally started from…smoking cigarettes, cannabis, whatever it might be because they’re not getting that rush, that nic rush they need. Them smoking, going back to smoking, what’s that gonna cause? Health issues... and that’s the main thing they’re trying to tackle.”

Chris claims the sales for this non-disposable product will increase after the ban, as opposed to the disposable vape pods that easily sell out in his store.

Furthermore, in light of the introduction of this ban, Vape and Bubble Tea Lagoon has begun working with suppliers and manufacturers to source and offer compliant vaping products to their customers.

Just this year, their owner has started marketing and promoting new pod devices that are within the regulations of the speculated ban to ensure their business won’t take a financial hit if this bill gets passed into legislation.

As it stands now, Chris does not foresee any negative impacts towards his and other vape businesses, considering the vape industry and market within the UK is so vast.