Chief Medical Officer urges ministers to take health concerns over vaping seriously

Ministers must not let history ‘repeat itself’ by allowing children to get hooked on e-cigarettes, the Chief Medical Officer warned.

Professor Chris Whitty said that although the devices are ‘definitely safer’ than tobacco cigarettes, there remain question marks over their long-term harms.

And in a swipe at big tobacco firms – many of whom have moved into the e-cigarette market – he said he has ‘serious concerns’ about their ability ‘to addict people young’.

Several companies including British American Tobacco and Imperial Brands are investing heavily in vaping devices because tobacco smoking in the Western world is declining.

But some of their products appear to be brazenly marketed at children and popular e-cig flavourings include bubblegum, chocolate mint and butterscotch.

Professor Whitty told the Mail: ‘We need to make sure history does not repeat itself.

‘The test of whether a product is being targeted at children is if it starts to be increasingly used by children and that will lead to action. If e-cigarettes are increasing in children then we should assume that they are being marketed towards them or at least pushed on them in some way, and deal with that very, very strongly.’

Figures from NHS Digital last August showed 25 per cent of pupils aged 11 to 15 had used e-cigarettes, the same as in 2016.

But the figure had increased compared to 2014 when 22 per cent had tried them.

Professor Whitty said: ‘No-one would claim that e-cigarettes are safer than not smoking at all and so if you don’t smoke, don’t use an e-cigarette. He added that there is a ‘question mark’ about the long term effects of the flavours of some e-cigarettes.

‘If you’re just using them for a short period to come off cigarettes that isn’t such a concern, but obviously if they’re using them for long periods it can be, because we don’t know what the effect will be and we wont know for many years,’ he said. He also said he has ‘serious worries’ about tobacco firms’ ‘continuing ability’ to get youngsters hooked on ordinary cigarettes.

‘There are still children who are smoking and it’s not happening by accident. That’s an area we really need to look very seriously at.

‘The model of action for the cigarette industry is very straightforward. If you get people early, they get addicted to something which is going to kill them and then once they’re addicted, they say it’s all about choice.’ Professor Whitty is also looking at whether the thousands of cannabidiol (CBD) products on our high streets are safe amid concerns some may contain trace amounts of the the harmful tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

Sales of the cannabis extract have doubled in the last two years. It is a legal substance derived from the marijuana plant and unlike the illegal THC – also obtained from the plant – doesn’t make you high.’