Should pupils be allowed to purchase vapes, and use them in school?
Ask any headteacher across England; besides funding, vaping is likely to be one of their current headaches!
No longer do students need to hide a ‘packet of fags’ or ‘light up’ in the toilets around the back of the sports hall; young people today can have a ‘quick puff’ on stairwells and on corridors between lessons. No matches, just a cloud of mist evaporating as quickly as it appeared!
When the smoking age was increased from 16 to 18, the number of illicit cigarette consumption fell by 25% (Department of Health and Social Care, 2024).
This week in England, the current Prime Minister successfully had The Tobacco and Vapes Bill passed by 383 votes, making it the strictest smoking laws in the world. 67 MPs voted against it! I am sure there are lots of details on business, freedom, consent and so forth, but imagine not wanting to protect young people from smoking?
According to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (2022), “E-cigarette use was highest among those aged 16 to 24 years.” Further evidence presented at research briefings in parliament suggests “that 54% of young people aged 11 to 18 in England report having begun vaping “just to give it a try”.
