Schools in Watford are seizing vaping products, a Herts care leader has warned, amid calls to crack down on selling them to children. 

As part of a motion put forward by Councillor Favour Ezeifedi (Lab, Holywell), who works in the NHS, Watford Borough Council has agreed to call on the government to ban multi-coloured e-cigarette packaging which is likely to appeal to children.

The CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) leader warned vapes are becoming “gateways” to drug abuse.

Cllr Ezeifedi said research by Action on Smoking and Health shows 8.6% of 11 to 18-year-olds surveyed smoked vapes in 2022 – up from 4% in 2021.

The study found among the children who had tried vaping, 40.1% had never smoked before.

Cllr Ezeifedi said: “Although vaping has been promoted as safer than smoking, we have no evidence yet on the impact on young minds.

“There are concerns vaping is becoming a gateway for young people experimenting with other hard drugs or chemicals.

“As a CAMHS service manager and a parent, I am really concerned that vaping products are being marketed to young people in Watford, thereby encouraging them in making this lifestyle choice without information on the likely impact.

“I have personally witnessed this. I am also aware of schools in Watford seizing vaping products during school hours.”

Councillor Aga Dychton (LD, Central) said it is important that Watford Borough Council does what it can to protect children, but acknowledged vapes can promote a healthier lifestyle to smoking conventional cigarettes.

“It’s really important the we care and invest in and look after all of our residents including the young,” she said.

“Action on Smoking and Health research shows vapes help people quit smoking, which is what we would like to see more of.

“Action on Smoking and Health works with schools, parents and youth services which provide educational materials and guidance to help young people make positive choices around smoking.

“We need to make sure vapes are out of sight as well.”

As part of the motion, which councillors agreed unanimously, Watford Borough Council has called on the trading standards authority – Hertfordshire County Council – to increase the number of test purchases in the town.

An amendment put forward by Cllr Dychton, who like Cllr Ezeifedi works in the NHS, means the council would like to see – but cannot bring in itself – a tax on disposable vapes which “which are the cheapest and most popular vape for children and are not environmentally friendly”.

The authority would also like to see an end to brightly coloured packaging which feature cartoons on vapes, and believes there should be tougher punishments for retailers which flout the regulations.

The Local Government Association has called for vapes to be marketed “the same way as tobacco”.

Somerset councillor David Fothergill (Con) is chair of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board.

“Vapes need to be out of sight and out of reach of children in the same way as cigarettes,” he said.

“Vapes should only be used as an aid to quit smoking. While research has shown vaping poses a small fraction of the risks of smoking, it is deeply worrying that more and more children – who have never smoked – are starting vaping.

“This has become a major concern for councils, who are seeing a sharp rise in cases of shops and other outlets selling vaping products to people under 18.”

According to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 aims to create “an environment that protects children from starting to use these products”.

A 2022 government study found that although it is illegal to sell vapes to children under 18, “there is a loophole in the legislation allowing free samples of vaping products to be given to people of any age”.