VAPE users have vowed to return to smoking as a ban on disposable e-cigarettes came into effect today.
Some vapers also moaned that the would fail to make a difference, as users would be able to “find a way”; to buy the now-illegal products.
As of today, it is against the law to sell single-use vapes either online or in shops – with the policy being introduced to try and .
Reacting to the ban, some vapers have said the ban will just , which many of them had initially quit by taking up .
Sam Horrocks, 34, from , , is one of those people.
He said: “I can’t be bothered with the hassle of taking out a portable charger on nights out, I’ll be back on the fags for sure.
“To ban them outright is stupid – I’ve stockpiled a few but once they are all gone I’ll be again I reckon.
“They were quick, convenient and easy but messing around with refills and charging up the devices just isn’t for me.”;
On top of sending people back to cigarette smoking, some also believe the ban will fail to stop and those who are .
Scott Lawley, 39, also from West Bromwich, said: “I don’t think it will make a difference.
“Some dodgy people will find a way of selling them and others will just go to the refills.
“If people want their vape or nicotine fix, they will find a way.”;
Countless stores, fearful of losing out on unsellable stock, .
Many were desperate to clear shelves in order to today, including one – Vapes and Candy in – which was selling disposable vapes at a fraction of the price charged the month prior.
The owner of the store, who did not wish to be named, explained that while his store would be fine with the ban, cornershops could be badly affected.
He said: “Vape specialist shops like us will be fine, we have a few shelves of disposables left and that is it.
“The cornershops who sell all sorts of cheap disposables will be the part of the market this will affect the most.”;
Vape Factorie – also in Wolverhampton – even rigged up a wheel of fortune style wheel to give people random flavours on the final day disposable vapes were legal to sell.
But not all businesses are against the ban, with some saying that it’s right for cornershops to be barred from selling the products which are .
Yasser Ali, from Vape Factorie, said: “We are not going to risk a fine so there will not be one disposable vape in the shop from today.
“I actually agree with the ban, we sell wholesale and have concentrated on refillable vapes and the liquids for a long time now.
“Disposable vapes are bad for the environment, and some of the corner shops which sell them are selling all sorts of things they should not.”;
PEOPLE ‘WILL MISS THE CONVENIENCE OF DISPOSABLE VAPES’
Vape sellers in Shropshire also said they doubted the ban would improve people’s health, fearing it would encourage many to revert to smoking.
Liam Humberstone from Totally Wicked Vapes, which has shops in both Telford and Shrewsbury, said: “There are positive and negative aspects to the ban for vapers.
“Starting with the most positive, it will be better for the environment, and it will be better for most consumers.
“Less positive is that some will miss the convenience of disposable vapes, and so .
“Single-use disposables are no more complex to use than lighting a cigarette.
“So ‘social smokers’ that have been picking up a vape instead of 20 cigarettes for a night out might well return to their old ways.
“At Totally Wicked we started releasing alternatives to disposable vapes well over two years ago, and the vast majority of our customers had already moved over to them before the ban was announced in 2024.
“So while we have had to prepare for the ban this weekend in our own shops, our bigger challenge has been in helping the wholesale convenience and grocery chains we supply get ready for it.”;
Ryan Davies Williams, from Evapo in Shrewsbury, however believes the ban will mean an increase in .
He said: “Instead of throwing away the disposables that people are doing – around eight million a day – I believe it will bring in a lot more business for the pod or refill systems that will help a lot more people quit smoking.”;
Vape users themselves had mixed opinions on the ban, with many focusing on how they would stockpile the disposable products.
One customer from Vapes and Candy said yesterday: “I’m buying as many as I possibly can today.
“They are so much easier to use than the refillable ones, which involves a lot of faffing around.
“It is something else to charge, something to remember to charge before you leave the house.
“There is none of that with disposables.”;
Austeja Kiskyte, 18, from Heath Town, Wolverhampton, said she supports the ban, despite being a vape user herself.
She said: “I support the ban because you see them on the floor, everywhere – they are bad for the environment.
“You see children using them everyday; it is totally normal.
“I did use disposable vapes for a few years, but recently have been using a refillable vape for a while now because it is cheaper.”;
Rebecca Meakin, 18, from Wednesfield, West Midlands, has been vaping for four years and said she wasn’t even aware of the ban.
She said: “I do have a refillable one but the disposable ones are easier.
“I did not know there was a ban, it is a shame – I like them.
“I was when I was 14 as were a lot of friends.”;
