Plain packs for vapes ‘cuts appeal to children’

PUTTING vapes in plain packaging reduces their appeal to teenagers and could even stop them picking up the habit, a major study has found.

Researchers said banning bright colours, pictures and fancy lettering were all effective measures.

The team, from King’s College London and Action on Smoking and Health, studied nearly 2,500 teenagers aged 11 to 18 and more than 12,000 adults.

They were all randomly assigned to view a set of three different vape products – some in fully-branded packs, some in plain white with a brand name and some in plain green packaging with a brand name.

Analysis, published in the journal Jama Network Open, revealed that those in the teenage group were more likely to say their peers would have less interest in vapes in plain or limited packaging. The adult group reported no difference.

Deborah Arnott of Action on Smoking said: ‘This is an important finding given the concerning rise in underage vaping. The Government should take note and commit to implementing standardised packaging.’