A Gillingham vape shop says he's worried older customers will be caught in the crossfire of the government's ban on flavours and advertising that attract young people.
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00:00Vaping is used by many as a way to curb their smoking addiction, but many young people across
00:04Kent and the rest of the country have picked up the habit, and according to the government,
00:09even those under the age of 18.
00:11The House of Commons are discussing and voting on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill to try and reduce
00:16the number of children using e-cigarettes and vapes.
00:19Now the bill's exact aim is to stop children vaping, and that involves getting rid of certain
00:24flavours, gummy bear, cotton candy, maybe watermelon ice, and it also involves changing
00:29how the packaging looks to make it less appealing to children.
00:33I spoke to Paul, who runs TJ's e-cigarettes in Gillingham, to get a sense of what he thought
00:38about the government's plan if the bill does go through.
00:41I understand kids vaping, no. Nicotine, anything like that is a no. However, actually banning
00:49certain flavours that other people, like adults that are finding helpful to quit smoking,
00:57it's going to end up pushing them back to smoking, I think.
00:59The people of Rochester had quite a different view on the bill.
01:02I agree. I think they should ban all the different flavours and make it less attractive and less
01:11appealing and less like candy for them.
01:14They should ban all vapes. It will help to discourage smoking in general, but especially
01:21our youngsters who do not need to take up smoking. That's just putting extra pressure
01:26on our NHS in the future.
01:28I think it's probably a wise idea because the flavours, they must add to the whole appeal.
01:36We also spoke to the CEO of Smoko e-cigarettes in Tunbridge Wells about vapes targeted towards
01:41children.
01:43These vapes that have images of SpongeBob SquarePants on the front of them, that is
01:49the complete opposite of what e-cigarettes and vapes were meant to be used for. So from
01:56that point of view, I think any measures to curtail and remove those kind of products
02:02from the market is 100% welcomed, and it should have happened a long time ago.
02:09If the bill is passed, it'll also mean anyone born after the 1st of January 2009 won't
02:14be able to buy tobacco products. And there'll be fines for any shopkeepers who sell to anyone
02:18under that age limit.
02:20The government have said that the measures are an intervention to help children avoid
02:23a life imprisoned by addiction. And the NHS say it's the first step in creating a smoke-free
02:29future.
02:29Finn McDermid for KMTV in Medway.