Vape ban proposals are welcome first steps

Responding to the announcement that the Government is proposing to ban the sale of disposable vapes, Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union said:

“The NASUWT has been calling on the Government to take effective action to ban the sale of disposable vapes as part of a package of measures to protect children’s health. Today’s announcement is a welcome step in the right direction.

“The impact of vaping on child health, concentration and learning is contributing to a public health emergency and teachers and headteachers have been on the front line dealing with the grave consequences associated with the use of vaping products and the addictions created by them.

“An NASUWT survey found that 85% of teachers said vaping is a problem on school premises and had increased over the last year, with many pupils as young as 11 vaping regularly.

“Vaping in schools poses a huge health risk to pupils and teachers and schools need to be provided with greater resources to deal with the problems caused by this epidemic.

“The Government must also now act to invest in improved public health information and better support for children and young people addicted to vaping products.”