Sweet vape flavours could be banned over fears they target children, Health Secretary Steve Barclay hints
SWEET vape flavours could be BANNED under a major e-cig crackdown, Steve Barclay hinted today.
The Health Secretary said he's concerned that young kids are getting dangerously hooked on flavours such as strawberry ice and bubblegum.
And he pledged to enforce a major clampdown on vape companies marketing products towards children.
The Department of Health has launched a public consultation on the issue which will be used to guide future policies, such as a sweet flavour ban.
Mr Barclay said: "I'm a parent of young children.
"It's not right that we've got cartoon characters or bubblegum flavours or these things marketed in the way that sweets shops would market.
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"Clearly that's wrong. That's why we're clamping down on it.
"But what we don't want to do is cut across the fact that for people that smoke, vaping is better."
There's been a shocking three-fold increase in the number of children who vape.
Ministers believe that now as many as one in five kids have puffed on one.
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Among the options being considered in the eight week consultation are a complete ban on disposable vapes, restricting sales or banning specific flavours.
There's also proposals to force plain packaging, hike prices and prohibit over over the counter displays.
Mr Barclay told LBC: "What we want to do through the consultation we're launching today is get the policy right, the detail right, in terms of that balance between vapes having a role to play with adults but not having the marketing of vapes to children in the way that we're seeing at the moment.
"Also there is a question around disposable vapes and a big environmental issue in terms of just how much waste there is with those, so we want to tighten it up."
He added: "It's about how we protect children, that's what we're really focused on whilst recognising there is a role in terms of adults continuing to be able to vape."