There are those days when the entire idea of government is called into question - given how hard it seems to gain good government:
Half of young people using disposable vapes were not smokers, research has shown, as ministers consider a ban.
The UK study of almost 70,000 people shows a steep rise in the number of adults using the products.
Overall, the study found that from January 2021 to August 2023, the prevalence of disposable e-cigarette use grew from 0.1 per cent to 4.9 per cent of the adult population.
The figures show that among those aged 18 to 24, the proportion using disposable vapes is significantly higher. In total, 14.4 per cent of this age group used the devices, including 7.1 per cent who used them despite not having a history of smoking tobacco.
That all sounds to us like excellent news. We know that tobacco smoking is injurious to health, vaping is a vastly less damaging substitute, more vaping and less smoking seems like a damn good idea.
This is not, however, how government seems to see it:
The Government is considering banning disposable vapes, as part of efforts to prevent youth vaping.
Given the difference in health effects the correct reaction to the evidence so far would be to subsidise vaping, not ban it.
The charity said ministers faced a “complex balancing act” to keep vapes out of the hands of children and those who have never smoked, while ensuring help was available for those trying to quit smoking.
Why try to stop people who don’t smoke from vaping? This is the very thing desired, that people don’t smoke, yes? So, if people vape instead of smoke then they’re not smoking - job done.
And the thing is, alongside the rise in vaping over the years there’s been a collapse in the number of young and teen smokers. “Smoking rates among 16-24 year olds have only fallen by a half since 2000, from 32.9% in 2000 to 15.7% in 2020.” and “Regular smoking among males and females aged 15 in England has fallen steadily since 2011, from 11.0% for both sexes to 4.9% and 5.3% in 2018 respectively” and “The proportion of children who have ever smoked continues to decline. In 2018, 16% of 11-15 year olds (23% in 2012) had smoked at least once; the lowest proportion since the survey began in 1982, when 53% had tried smoking.” Different measures in different years provide different numbers of course.
We can even test this against the experience of other places:
The proportion of teenagers smoking has increased for the first time in 25 years in a situation health experts have labelled “alarming”.
Data analysed by Cancer Council Victoria’s Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer (CBRC) has revealed a threefold increase in the proportion of 14 to 17-year-olds smoking tobacco in the past four years, from 2.1% in 2018 to 6.7% in 2022.
So, why might that be?
It is illegal to purchase any e-liquids or vaping products containing nicotine for personal use from any Australian retailer as it is classified as a schedule 7 – dangerous poision under the National Poisons Standard. The use of Nicotine is regulated by the Federal Government under the Theraputic Goods Act 1989. However, if the e-cigarette is for therapeutic purposes such as smoking cessation or alleviation of nicotine withdrawal, the e-cigarette must be registered by the TGA in order to be lawfully sold. This is only available by a doctor as a schedule 4 prescription only medicine under the National Poisons Standard.
Putting vapes - containing nicotine at least - on prescription only increases the teen smoking rate. Or, at least, is strongly correlated with it rising.
Britain has nicotine vapes widely available and a low and falling teen smoking rate. Australia has nicotine vapes on prescription only and a high and rising teen smoking rate. Therefore the British government is to control teen access to nicotine vapes in order to reduce the teen smoking rate.
Currently the UK government takes 37% of all economic effort by everyone in the country. Clearly too much of that is spent upon fools. The correct solution to government losing its mind is to have less government, obviously.