There has been a fall in vaping and disposable e-cigarette use following the UK government’s announcement of regulations, a study has found.
The research – led by a team at University College London (UCL) and published in Addiction – used data from the Smoking Toolkit Study, a monthly household survey of adults in England, Wales and Scotland.
Between January 2022 and January 2024, the prevalence of current vaping among people aged 16 and over (classified in the study as adults) rose from 8.9% to 13.5%.
Among those aged 16 to 24 (categorised as young adults), vaping prevalence increased from 17% to 26.5%.
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However, from January 2024 to January 2025, these figures levelled off, with no statistically significant rise or fall in prevalence among adults or young adults.
Proposed ban on disposables from 1 June
The UK government announced in January 2024 that it would ban the sale of disposable vapes as part of a package of measures to reduce youth vaping and protect children’s health. The announcement followed a public consultation and received widespread media coverage.
In the year following the announcement, use of disposables among adults declined from 43.6% to 29.4%. Among young adults, the drop was steeper, from 63.2% to 35.2%.
The researchers suggest this shift may reflect changes in consumer behaviour in response to the policy announcement, media coverage of the environmental impact of disposables, and increased availability of reusable alternatives.
The UK government’s proposed ban on disposables will come into effect on 1 June 2025 under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, with the legislation applying across England, Scotland and Wales.
Additional measures, such as restrictions on flavours, packaging and marketing of vaping products, are being considered under the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, currently progressing through parliament.
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Vapers already moving away from disposable vapes
Lead author Dr Sarah Jackson, from the UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care, said: ‘Action is likely still required to reduce high vaping rates, but now that the situation has stabilised, policymakers may be reassured that it would be sensible to avoid stricter policy options currently under review.
‘Our results also suggest that the government’s ban on disposables, coming into force in June, may have limited impact on vaping rates in general, given that vapers are already moving away from disposable vapes.’
The researchers highlighted that the stabilisation of vaping prevalence occurred across all groups, regardless of smoking status.
UCL’s professor Jamie Brown, senior author, said: ‘While it is understandable that policymakers want to take action to reduce vaping among children and never smokers, smoking remains the number one public health priority.
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‘These findings should reassure policymakers that they can prioritise measures, such as restrictions on marketing, packaging and display, which are least likely to undermine how helpful vapes are for people trying to quit smoking.’
