Scottish Government delays disposable vape ban to match England

The ban on disposable vapes in Scotland has been delayed by two months to bring it into line with plans in England.

The Scottish Parliament had already passed regulations that make the ban enforceable from 1 April 2025.

But with the UK Government today confirming its own ban for England will kick in from 1 June, Scottish health secretary Neil Gray has said his government will mirror the date.

Gray said: “The Scottish Government was the first in the UK to commit to taking action on single-use vapes.

“We have worked closely across the four nations to ensure a consistent approach to a ban on the sale and supply of single-use vapes so we can provide certainty to businesses and consumers.

“We will lay regulations to amend the current coming into force date from 1 April 2025 to 1 June 2025 to ensure a common date across the four nations.”

The legislation will ban the sale and supply of disposable vapes in a bid to tackle their environmental impact. Zero Waste Scotland previously estimated 26 million single-use vapes are thrown away each year.

But it is also hoped the move will reduce vaping among non-smokers, particularly young people.

The UK government’s public health minister, Andrew Gwynne, said the ban would “reduce the appeal of vapes to children and keep them out of the hands of vulnerable young people”.

A Tobacco and Vapes Bill is also expected to be re-introduced shortly which will phase out the sale of tobacco by raising the age of sale, as well as give ministers the power to introduce regulations covering vapes to make products less appealing to children.

A similar bill was introduced by the Conservative government earlier this year but the general election was called before it was passed.