Smoking ban misses the point

No one thinks it’s a great idea for kids to be puffing cigs but the lifelong ban included in Sunak’s tobacco and vapes Bill, which passed its second reading last night, strikes me as worryingly illiberal and draconian and also likely just to make smoking more appealing. Also the nicotine genie is out of the bottle already.

I know a few teenagers who smoke “blems” (usually roll-ups, and mostly because they also smoke spliffs) but the vast majority don’t touch cancer sticks – they are far too busy puffing away on their dummy-like vapes.

I drove a bunch of youngsters up to Manchester University at the weekend. They were all sporting, and admiring each other’s flash new vapes – each boasted four different flavours of lime and lemon, presented in a shiny tube a bit like a Sherbet Dib Dab. The barrel could be whizzed round to change the flavour – it was like smokeable sweeties. But each puff packs more nicotine than two cigarettes.

Rather than banning them from buying cigarettes for life, Rishi should focus on where the real nicotine action now is: the billionpound vaping industry, which is flogging its wares on every high street and getting its addictive substance into the lungs of a whole new generation.

It’s going to be hard, though, because the kids are already addicted. Teachers report some children can’t get through a lesson without a puff on their vape. It’s ironic that vaping was created as a safer nicotine vessel but has now addicted a whole new cohort to this noxious substance, which is harder to kick than heroin.

The Bill will regulate the display, and packaging of vapes and restrict flavours. But will it be enough? I’m not holding my (bubblegum, strawberry, mint, lemon) breath.