PM urged to apply vaping logic elsewhere
It is, as Mr Sunak himself said, unacceptable that children and young people are targeted. By ‘hooking’ people in from a young age, a vicious cycle is created whereby generation after generation are exposed, and therefore normalised to, harmful products.
Greg Fell
ADPH Vice President
The Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH) have welcomed today’s announcement that the current loophole allowing free samples of vapes to be given to children will be closed and are urging the Prime Minister to go even further to protect children and young people from harm.
Greg Fell, ADPH Vice President, explained:
“We are particularly pleased that the Prime Minister has recognised the power and influence industry is able to wield through the use of clever marketing techniques. Sadly though, these techniques are not only used by the vaping industry, but by a range of industries whose sole aim is to sell products that cause harm – not just to individuals, but to their families and the wider community too.”
Such commercial determinants of health are an increasing concern for Directors of Public Health and their teams, who are repeatedly seeing the effects of industry tactics in their communities.
Fell continued, “We have a duty to protect people from harm – whether that harm is caused by allowing companies to give vapes away to children, ill-health as a result of alcohol or tobacco consumption, financial pressures and mental health issues caused by an addiction to gambling or increasing levels of obesity as a result of the abundance of cheap, easily accessible junk food in our supermarkets and high streets.
“What is needed now is for Government to apply the same logic to other industries as they are doing today with vaping. It is, as Mr Sunak himself said, unacceptable that children and young people are targeted. By ‘hooking’ people in from a young age, a vicious cycle is created whereby generation after generation are exposed, and therefore normalised to, harmful products.
“We have to tackle the enormous demand being put on our health and social care services. We also have to tackle the increasing numbers of people out of work because of ill-health. The fact is that a huge proportion of these issues are caused by preventable illness.
“The only way to improve the situation is to make health both the expectation and the norm in our society so that our children can grow up to live longer, and healthier, lives.”