Challenges We’re Facing

While the battle against tobacco has been a major health success and the number of smokers has fallen sharply, new formats of tobacco and nicotine are facilitating new and long-term dependencies and call for a new policy agenda:^1,2

• 1 in 5 recreational alternative tobacco and nicotine product users start using these products without ever having smoked.³

• Children aged 13-15 are using e-cigarettes at rates higher than adults in all World Health Organisation (WHO) regions, potentially leading to new, long-term dependencies.⁴

• In Britain, 1 in 5 children aged 11–17 have tried vapes, a five-fold increase since 2013.⁵ With an estimated 10% of adults vaping in Great Britain.⁶

Increasing production and use of alternative tobacco and nicotine products combined with unregulated disposal of single use vapes/e-cigarettes that not only contain plastic, but also rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and toxic metals, are having a widespread impact on our world:

• Alternative tobacco and nicotine products can potentially be more harmful to the environment than cigarettes, according to the WHO.⁷

• Some progress has been made to combat this environmental burden in some countries, with the UK Government having banned the sale of single use vapes from 1^st June 2025.⁸

To achieve a future free from tobacco and nicotine, we can’t quit now. We must prioritise a policy agenda that promotes and supports a Total Quit.