(time limit 20 minutes)
Vaping or the use of e-cigarettes is becoming a more and more common sight. More and more people can be seen using these products. I’m sure we all know someone who vapes, and I’m sure most of us saw someone vaping today.
Some people welcome vaping as a ‘safer’ alternative to smoking tobacco product but let’s be honest the jury is out on that one. We do not know how safe these products are Cancer research UK have published reports calling for further research into the effects of vaping on health and to increase our knowledge on how ‘safe’; these products are.
We at Oldham Youth council have concerns that vaping is becoming an attractive activity for young people. We know anecdotally of young people who began vaporing without ever having been a smoker. These are not just alternatives to tobacco but are becoming a nicotine addictive habit for non-smokers too.
We strongly believe this is in a large part due to the advertising and promotion of e cigarettes and vaping.
We believe that E cigarette companies and the tobacco industry are targeting young people:
They present their marketing in such a way that it uses attractiveness, coolness, colours and innovative packaging – with a wide range of ‘fun’ flavours that is particularly aimed at a youth market. With flavours like candy apple and tutti fruity with bright packaging that looks like confectionary how can this not be aimed at the youth market?
They use social media and celebrity inspired styling and endorsements
They sponsor big sports events
And they portray their products as socially attractive
All this is particularly appealing to a younger audience and to non-smokers!
Over recent years we have seen the regulation of tobacco promotion with the introduction of smoke free public spaces, advertising bans, age restricted sales, a de-normalisation of Smoking industries, plain packaging and point of sale restrictions. Vaping products however are not controlled in this way! And this great work at reducing the likelihood of young people (and older people) from smoking) is being undermined by this.
These control policies were introduced to prevent people from taking up smoking and rightly so. But if we don’t want people to smoke and we certainly don’t want young people to take up smoking would we want them to start vaping!
In November 2017 Committees for Advertising Practice have introduced some new rules that will prevent e cigarette advertising from targeting non-smokers including children and young people, these restrictions will also prevent TV advertising attempting to tap into youth culture. We are particularly pleased to see that an emphasis has been placed on protecting young people and we welcome these new rules but they don’t go far enough!
A study by Moreon et all found that flavoured e cigarette liquids such as fruits and alcohol flavours are most frequently used by young people! And studies in the US have found that young people who vape are far more likely to smoke. Studies like these and the fact that the ‘safety’ of vaping is yet to be truly determined causes us great concern.
We want to prevent young people from these potentially harmful practices and we feel more needs to be done to prevent vaping from being seen as fun, acceptable and a ‘cool’ thing to do.
We would like to see the same controls on vaping as there are on tobacco products. We would like to see advertising banned, we would like to see plain packaging controls in place and we would like to point of sale restrictions. We believe these restrictions on the promotion of vaping will further reduce the likelihood of people taking up vaping and in turn smoking.
The Youth Council ask Council to resolve:
That the Chief Executive writes to the minister of Health and ask for a these restrictions to be put in place for vaping products.
Minutes:
The Youth Council PROPOSED the following MOTION:
“Vaping or the use of e-cigarettes is becoming a more and more common sight. More and more people can be seen using these products. I’m sure we all know someone who vapes, and I’m sure most of us saw someone vaping today.
Some people welcome vaping as a ‘safer’ alternative to smoking tobacco products but let’s be honest the jury is out on that one. We do not know how safe these products are Cancer research UK have published reports calling for further research into the effects of vaping on health and to increase our knowledge on how ‘safe’’ these products are.
We at Oldham Youth council have concerns that vaping is becoming an attractive activity for young people. We know anecdotally of young people who began vaporing without ever having been a smoker. These are not just alternatives to tobacco but are becoming a nicotine addictive habit for non-smokers too.
We strongly believe this is in large part due to the advertising and promotion of e-cigarettes and vaping.
We believe that E-cigarette companies and the tobacco industry are targeting young people;
They present their marketing in such a way that it uses attractiveness, coolness, colours and innovative packaging – with a wide range of ‘fun’ flavours that is particularly aimed at a youth market. With flavours like candy apple and tutti fruity with bright packaging that looks like confectionary how can this not be aimed at the youth market?
They use social media and celebrity inspired styling and endorsements
They sponsor big sports events
And they portray their products as socially attractive
All this is particularly appealing to a younger audience and to non-smokers.
Over recent years we have seen the regulation of tobacco promotion with the introduction of smoke free public spaces, advertising bans, age restricted sales, a de-normalisation of smoking industries, plain packaging and point of sale restrictions. Vaping products however are not controlled in this way. And this great work at reducing the likelihood of young people (and older people) from smoking) is being undermined by this.
These control policies were introduced to prevent people from taking up smoking and rightly so. But if we don’t want people to smoke and we certainly don’t want young people to take up smoking would we want them to start vaping.
In November 2017 Committees for Advertising Practice have introduced some new rules that will prevent e cigarette advertising from targeting non-smokers including children and young people, these restrictions will also prevent TV advertising attempting to tap into youth culture. We are particularly pleased to see that an emphasis has been placed on protecting young people and we welcome these new rules but they don’t go far enough.
A study by Moreon et all found that flavoured e cigarette liquids such as fruits and alcohol flavours are most frequently used by young people. And studies in the US have found that young people who vape are far more likely to smoke. Studies like these and the fact that the ‘safety’ of vaping is yet to be truly determined causes us great concern.
We want to prevent young people from these potentially harmful practices and we feel more needs to be done to prevent vaping from being seen as fun, acceptable and a ‘cool’ thing to do.
We would like to see the same controls on vaping as there are on tobacco products. We would like to see advertising banned, we would like to see plain packaging controls in place and we would like to point of sale restrictions. We believe that these restrictions on the promotion of vaping will further reduce the likelihood of people taking up vaping and in turn smoking.
The Youth Council ask Council to resolve:
That the Chief Executive writes to the minister of Health and asks for these restrictions to be put in place for vaping products.”
Councillor Moores MOVED the Motion and Councillor Williamson SECONDED the Motion.
On being put the VOTE, the MOTION was CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
RESOLVED the Chief Executive, on behalf of the Youth Council, write to the Minister of Health to ask for restrictions be put in place for vaping products.
NOTE: Councillor Roberts left the meeting during this item.