Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Baroness Grey-Thompson Excerpts

2nd reading
Wednesday 23rd April 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Grey-Thompson (CB)]

My Lords, I support many aspects of the Bill. I strongly dislike both smoking and vaping. I grew up in a house where both my parents smoked. My mother used it for hunger suppression and weight management. My father smoked just because people did. They both stopped later in life as the detriment to health was more widely realised.

I am delighted that my noble friend Lord Stevens of Birmingham raised Cancer Research UK. Smoking is the leading cause of health inequalities in the UK and accounts for half the difference in life expectancy between the richest and poorest in society. Some would argue that vaping is okay and not as harmful as smoking. The UK Vaping Industry Association briefing stated that vapes continue to drive smoking to historic lows. The association states that Public Health England has shown that vaping is

“at least 95% less harmful than smoking”

and that the NHS Better Health guidelines affirm that while vaping is not without risk, it is

“substantially less harmful than smoking”.

It might be better, slightly, but it is hardly good for you, as early smoking ads would suggest.

As an athlete, I never directly smoked. When I was competing, I spent most of my time avoiding anywhere that anybody smoked. One of the reasons I really dislike vaping is that I do not seem to be able to walk around anywhere without being vaped on or over. Vaping allows for nicotine to be more prevalent in the air, allowing for inhalation by third parties. I can try to be as healthy as possible—I can eat well and I can exercise—but ultimately I am inhaling vape smoke. I am pleased that a couple of noble Lords have raised cannabis, because I seem to spend quite a lot of my life swerving along the street trying to avoid that as well. I am no longer an athlete, but it is still on the banned list for athletes. The fact that it is so available should be cause for concern.

I realise that I am sounding old and grumpy. Quite a lot of things irritate me, but one of the things that irritate me quite a lot is people who pretend that they are not vaping while trying to hide it. People vape in places where they would never normally smoke, such as on buses. I am certain that I have smelt vape smoke in this very building. Being British, all I do is tut loudly. I am worried that vaping is seen as an alternative to smoking.

I accept that the initial reason for vapes and e-cigarettes was to provide a safer alternative, but the evidence has shown that the introduction of vapes has led to the gradual increase of vaping among children and minors. There are loads of statistics out there—72% of 11 to 17 year-olds report that they are exposed to some form of vape promotion. The main source has been in shops, at 55%, while online it is 29%. In March and April 2023, the proportion of children experimenting with vaping had grown 50% year on year, from one in 13 to one in nine. Young people who had used an e-cigarette were seven times more likely to become smokers one year later. The reasons that young people give are anxiety, stress and depression, but nicotine addiction just links these symptoms. We end up being in a Catch-22 situation.

Beyond my personal dislike, we have to look at environmental issues around smoking and vaping. Cigarette butts are currently made of cellulose acetate, which is synthetic plastic. We spent a lot of time in this building banning straws. Each cigarette butt contains around two straws’ worth of plastic. Globally, 6 trillion cigarettes are smoked each year, with 4.5 trillion butts being littered. Even in the UK, around 3.9 million cigarette butts are littered.

Wildlife and Countryside Link reported more than a million disposable vapes going into incineration or landfill every week. When I go to lots of sporting events, I see disposable vapes and vapes littered everywhere; the only thing that horrifies me more is the number of nitrous oxide cartridges that I see.

I am supportive of this Bill. Committee will be very interesting. I know we are going to get on to some contentious issues around smoking around hospitals. I would ban it from all entrances, but I realise that is possibly not possible. The noble Baroness, Lady Thornton, talked about the impact of smoking on her family, and it has probably impacted every single person in this building. I support any Bill that supports a smoke and vape-free future.