More than 127,000 young people start smoking tobacco regularly each year in the UK.
The Cancer Research UK-backed study found the equivalent of around 350 young adults aged 18 to 25 start smoking every day, with some 35,000 having taken up the habit since the King’s Speech in July.
The charity is calling on the Government not to delay bringing in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which was shelved by the previous Conservative government at the point the general election was called.
It comes after the Government announced on Wednesday evening that the sale of disposable vapes will be banned by next summer.
New legislation to ban the sale of single-use vapes from June 1, 2025, has been laid out in Parliament, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said.
Businesses will have until the deadline to sell any remaining stock they hold and prepare for the ban coming in, with devolved governments also bringing in the same measures as England.
Circular economy minister Mary Creagh said on Wednesday night that single-use vapes were ‘extremely wasteful and blight our towns and cities’.
Last year, it was estimated that almost five million single-use vapes were either littered or thrown away in general waste every week in the UK – almost four times as much as the previous year.
Defra said vape usage in England had grown by more than 400% between 2012 and 2023, with 9.1% of the British public now buying and using the products.
Health minister Andrew Gwynne also said: ‘It’s deeply worrying that a quarter of 11 to 15-year-olds used a vape last year and we know disposables are the product of choice for the majority of kids vaping today.
‘Banning disposable vapes will not only protect the environment, but importantly reduce the appeal of vapes to children and keep them out of the hands of vulnerable young people.
‘The Government will also introduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill – the biggest public health intervention in a generation – which will protect young people from becoming hooked on nicotine and pave the way for a smoke-free UK.’
Cancer Research UK’s chief executive, Michelle Mitchell, said there was no room for complacency.
‘It’s time for the Government to prove their commitment to prevention by making good on their promise to introduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill,’ she said.
‘Increasing the age of sale of tobacco products and properly funding stop smoking services will help to build a healthier future, prevent cancer, and protect people from a lifetime of deadly addiction. This toxic product should have no place in our future.’
Cancer Research UK’s prevention policy manager Alizee Froguel said: ‘Evidence shows that vapes are far less harmful than smoking and can help people to quit, but long-term effects are unknown, so they can’t be considered risk-free.
‘Research suggests banning disposable vapes could stop them falling into the hands of children and people who’ve never smoked.
‘But it’s important that this is effectively enforced and doesn’t create barriers for people trying to quit smoking.’
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