At a multi-agency summit to better understand the problems connected with youth vaping and how we can work as one to confront the growing issue, organisations in West Midlands hear directly from young people about how they can assist solve the issue.
In West Northamptonshire, youth vaping remains a top concern for numerous institutions, including parish councils, schools, health professionals, council members, and council services like trading standards, waste and recycling, public health, and community safety. Many parents, relatives, and even some young people themselves have expressed worry about the situation, and these audiences support the work that is being done.
These organisations came together for the Vaping Summit on Monday, February 5th, to begin formulating a plan to address issue head-on.
Thus far, efforts have involved collaborating closely with educational institutions to create and disseminate materials on how they might assist adolescents while acknowledging the need for additional resources and interacting with kids and teenagers to get more understanding. Our Trading Standards team is working harder than ever because they have observed a notable rise in illegal vape seizures from 2023 to date (284,000 vapes) in comparison to seizures from 2022 to 2023 (1500 vapes), which highlights the problem and the rapid increase in availability. This includes a significant seizure from a Northampton warehouse that stopped the sale of vapes in West Northamptonshire for £2.7 million. Furthermore, the Trading Standards team has conducted tests at 40 locations so far in 23/24 that have been reported to be selling vapes to minors. The overall non-compliance rate is 43%, which is an increase from the previous year.
The government’s recent announcement that vapes will no longer be allowed for disposal is very appreciated, and it will undoubtedly aid in the fight against the growing trend of underage vaping. But after hearing about the problems brought up and talking to the youth, we know that there is more we can do locally to address this problem in greater detail and to build on the dedication of many partners.
Our most current Health and Wellbeing strategy for West Northants outlines how we will work together to give our young people the “best start in life,” which includes arming them with the knowledge and resources they need to refuse vaping or, if they already do, assist them in quitting. Our next main focus will be on how we continue to work and ask young people and their parents for input so that we can carry out the appropriate activities moving forward.
The rise in stores offering e-cigarettes and other tobacco products to customers under the legal age of eighteen is concerning. As part of our dedication to combating teen vaping, we will work to confiscate illegal vaporizers and take legal action against vendors who fail to comply. We can better understand how we can all work together to address this by hearing directly from young people.
In order to reduce youth vaping, WNC will collaborate with youth to create and implement a plan that includes creating a communications campaign, creating resources for parents, teachers, and youth, and collaborating with partners throughout the system to carry it out.
If you are facing any of the challenges mentioned in this article, please do not hesitate to contact us, and we will see what we can do to assist you.