Agenda item

To receive and consider the attached report of the Director of Public Health regarding an insight into vaping across all contexts both locally and nationally. Key focus will be on youth vaping, current evidence on health risks and responsible vape use as a harm reduction tool and enforcement and legislation.

The Director of Public Health presented a report to offer an insight into vaping across all contexts both locally and nationally, with a focus on youth vaping, current evidence on health risks and responsible vape use as a harm reduction tool and enforcement and legislation. The report seeks to provide a balance overview of vaping which is currently vapidly changing landscape and can support certain populations to improve their health in relation to quitting smoking whilst putting other populations risk of future health implications and addiction.

The Advanced Health Improvement Specialist (tobacco control and vaping) attended the meeting and highlighted the following information:

·  History of vaping alongside national and local data.

·  A ban on disposable vapes and restrictions have been announced but a date is yet to be confirmed.

·  Vapes in different contexts can be beneficial but harmful in the context of young people and children.

·  There is not enough evidence to confirm whether vaping is harmful, and the long-term risks of vaping are not known. Short-term effects include headaches, dizziness, and sore throat. Some evidence indicates to harm part of the brain in children and young people.

·  There has been a survey done for 11–17-year-olds to try and understand a national and local picture. 20% of young people nationally have used a vape, and 23% in Leeds. A survey has been undertaken on experimental vs regular vaping and there has been a huge spike in national data on experimental vaping.

·  There is a similar pattern in schools across Leeds in terms of year 5 students to year 11 students. There has been an upshot in children experimenting when they move to secondary school. The top answer for where children get their vapes from is ‘other’, it is believed that children do not want people to know where they get them from, but also it was reported that children are getting somebody to go into the shop for them, or somebody older is giving them vapes.

·  There is no hard-hitting health messages associated with vaping as we cannot compare this against tobacco. There are messages to say that it is illegal for an adult to buy children tobacco products as well as them being age restricted.

·  Vapes cannot contain more than 2ml of liquid, no more nicotine content higher than 20mg and vape packaging must contain a health warning of it being a highly addictive substance. Also, refills cannot contain more than 10ml. There is a huge market of unregistered vapes.

·  How to report illicit vapes being sold, or to under 18s – contain Citizens Advice via telephone: 0808 2231133 or via their website/webchat.

·  Liaison work has been undertaken with West Yorkshire Trading Standards and a 6-month pilot has been commissioned. 35 retailers were visited, with 75% of them not being compliant. Vapes are not a licenced product, and anybody can sell them. In a recent visit to a premises, 16,000 vapes were seized in the city centre.

·  Campaigns have been done on social media to remind people about the legislation on how to spot illegal vapes, school sessions, and work alongside Leeds Rhinos Foundation to provide education sessions.

·  The national aim is to create a smokefree generation and to make smoking obsolete by 2030. It is acknowledged that vaping is a prominent issue, and it is growing. The Government is intending on raising the sale of tobacco by 1 year, every year, so that eventually nobody will be able to buy tobacco products. There will be legislation to cover ALL tobacco products.

·  A key message is that if you do not currently smoke, do not vape.

Committee Members provided the following comments:

·  It is becoming more apparent that younger children are using vapes, and these are available in all different flavours.

·  The work done around premises licences in Gipton and Harehills has been a success.

·  Local authorities and organisations are cracking down on vapes until guidance and legislation is released on a national scale.

·  There is no current evidence on the impacts of vaping on the cohort that have never smoked before. It is acknowledged that whilst there is legislative changes in the pipeline, something needs to be done sooner to tackle vaping across younger generations and use for nonsmokers.

RESOLVED – To note the contents of the report and comments made during discussion of this item.

Cllr S Arif attended the meeting during discussion of this item, at 19:55.