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13th October 2022
05:00pm BST
Vapes are far less harmful than smoking cigarettes but some consider them a gateway to smoking for teenagers (Getty)[/caption]
During the conversation, the topic of disposable vapes was raised on which Smyth said: "I've no problem with vaping. I can see that it's something where you recharge your vape and you put liquid in and you reuse it again and again.
"But what's emerged in the last year has been this idea of a single-use vape.
"You buy this thing, it's got everything in it - the battery, the vape liquid, it's a plastic tube - and when you're finished, typically people are often throwing them on the ground.
"I think this is a product that actually just needs to be banned completely."
Smyth told the programme that this is his plan and that he has been working with his officials on it, before adding that he will carry out a public consultation on the matter first.
"But I think this is an example of an innovation that is really making the world a worse place," he also said.
"The idea that you would buy a product that's very attractive to children, tastes like bubblegum, you smoke on it for maybe 50 drags and then it just gets thrown on the ground.
"And it contains valuable materials: lithium-ion battery, electronics, copper, plastic.
"I think it's really the opposite of everything we're trying to do."
Here in the UK, there are around 4.5 million regular vapers, and nearly 3,000 specialist vape stores, along with a number of online retailers, but they can be commonly found at supermarkets and corner shops as well.
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