RESEARCH ALERT
Some vapes use added chemicals to create a cold or icy feeling. New research has raised concerns about three of them: WS-23, WS-3 and WS-5. We do not yet know how common they are in Wales.
Smoking in Cars
Past campaign · policy change achieved
ASH Wales supported action to protect children from second-hand smoke in private vehicles.
The campaign is now part of Wales’ tobacco-control history: smoking in an enclosed private vehicle with someone under 18 present has been illegal in Wales since 2015.
What changed?
From 1st October 2015, it became an offence in Wales to smoke, or fail to prevent smoking, in an enclosed private vehicle when someone under 18 is present.
The rules apply even when windows are open or ventilation is being used. Vehicles with the roof fully down and vehicles occupied only by the person smoking are outside the specific child-passenger offence.
The campaign
The campaign focused on children’s exposure to second-hand smoke in the confined space of a car and built support for a clear legal safeguard.
Before the change, ASH Wales and other public-health organisations argued for legislation alongside awareness work about the risks of smoking around children.
Where things stand now
The 2015 protection remains in place. The current rule concerns smoking tobacco in enclosed private vehicles carrying someone under 18; vaping was not included in that 2015 provision.
Explore current ASH Wales work
This page records an earlier campaign. See our current campaigns and smokefree environments work for what we are focusing on now.