One year after the disposable vape ban, reports of illegal tobacco and vape sales rise tenfold

A year ago, disposable vapes had become hard to miss. They were in shop displays, coat pockets, school toilets, parks, buses, bins and beaches. Cheap to buy, easy to hide and often discarded after short-term use, they had become one of the most visible symbols of youth vaping and throwaway nicotine culture.

On 1st June 2025, the sale and supply of single use vapes was banned across the UK. The aim was to reduce disposable vape litter and battery waste and help reduce youth vaping.

One year on, new YouGov survey data suggests the ban has changed what many people say they are using. Among 11 to 17 year olds who vape, the proportion mainly using disposable products fell from 42% in 2025 to 13% in 2026. Among adults who vape, the figure fell from 24% to 8%.

That is an encouraging shift in the legal market. But it does not tell the full story of what communities, families and frontline services are now seeing across Wales.

In Wales, reports to No Ifs. No Butts., the anonymous reporting route run by ASH Wales for illegal tobacco, illegal vapes, online sellers and underage sales, have risen sharply. In May 2025, immediately before the disposable vape ban came into force, No Ifs. No Butts. received 15 reports. In May 2026, reports reached 150. That is ten times higher than the same month last year, the highest monthly total recorded since No Ifs. No Butts. began, and equal to almost one report every five hours.

The market has moved

The disposable vape ban removed one product from legal sale, but it did not remove the demand, the marketing tactics or the business model behind it.

In the months since the ban, the market has moved quickly. Many single-use vapes have been replaced by rechargeable, high-puff and disposable-style products that can look and feel very similar to the products they replaced. Some may meet the technical rules, but they are often still cheap, brightly packaged and sold in ways that encourage short-term use.

For communities, this creates a real grey area. A product may no longer be legally classed as single use, yet still be treated like a throwaway vape. For parents and carers, the difference can be hard to spot. For schools and youth workers, the products young people are using can change quickly. For Trading Standards teams, enforcement is no longer as simple as checking whether a disposable vape is on the shelf.

This is the concern one year on: the ban has changed the legal market, but parts of the industry have found ways to keep disposable-style products in circulation. The product label may have changed. The low-cost, throwaway culture around vaping has not disappeared.

The waste problem has reduced, but not disappeared

The environmental case for the disposable vape ban was always strong. Disposable vapes contain lithium batteries and electrical components that should never end up in household bins, streets, waterways or general waste.

Research by Material Focus has found that the number of vapes and pods being thrown away has fallen since the ban. But more than 6 million vapes and pods are still being discarded every week.

The Local Government Association has warned that the market has shifted to rechargeable products that are designed, sold, priced and used much like the disposables they replaced. Councils have raised concerns about vape waste, contaminated recycling and fires linked to lithium batteries in bins, bin lorries and waste sites.

For communities, the question is no longer simply whether disposable vapes are still being sold. It is whether throwaway vape culture has really changed enough.

What people are reporting

No Ifs. No Butts. gives people a simple way to report concerns without needing proof. A report might include a shop name, postcode, online account, product, price, delivery area or concern about young people.

The latest data shows that reports are not focused on one issue alone. People are raising concerns about illegal vapes, cheap tobacco, hidden stock, online sellers, local delivery and products being sold to young people.

More than one in three reports received in May raised concerns about underage sales or young people being linked to illegal tobacco or vape sales.

Online selling is becoming a much bigger part of the picture. Reports about online sellers are already 175% higher than the whole of last year, reaching almost three times last year’s total before the year is halfway through.

Hidden stock is another recurring concern. Around one in five reports this year mention products being hidden or kept out of sight.

Illegal tobacco remains deeply linked to the issue too. Around two thirds of reports this year mention illegal tobacco, and around one in four reports mention both illegal tobacco and illegal vapes.

Together, these figures point to a market that is becoming harder for the public to understand and harder for services to track. Some concerns still relate to shops. Others point to social media, group chats, delivery routes, local networks or products kept away from public view.

One report may seem small, but it can help show a pattern.

“People are concerned and they want action”

Suzanne Cass, Chief Executive of ASH Wales, said:

“The increase in reports tells us that people are concerned about what is happening in their communities and want action.

“Last year we were receiving around one report every two days. This year we are receiving around one report every five hours. That is a significant increase and reflects both growing awareness of the reporting system and growing concern about illegal tobacco and vaping products.

“The disposable vape ban was an important step, and it is positive to see survey data suggesting fewer people are now mainly using disposable vapes. But that does not mean the wider problem has disappeared.

“The market has changed very quickly. Products that were once single use have been replaced by larger rechargeable devices, high puff products and disposable style alternatives, often sold at similar prices and still treated like throwaway products.

“The products have changed, but the problem has not gone away.”

What frontline professionals are seeing

The concerns coming through No Ifs. No Butts. match what many professionals across Wales are describing.

ASH Wales recently surveyed 80 enforcement officers, youth workers, police officers, public health professionals and community safety practitioners to understand what they are seeing locally.

Almost two thirds said the situation relating to illegal tobacco and vaping products had worsened over the last 12 months.

Young people’s safety and wellbeing came through as a major concern. Professionals raised issues linked to youth access, organised criminality, drugs, child exploitation and enforcement capacity.

Their feedback paints a picture of a fast changing market that reaches beyond one banned product. A young person may access a vape through a shop, a friend, an older pupil, an online seller, a group chat or a local contact. A product may be technically reusable, but still used like a disposable. A seller may move from open display to hidden stock, doorstep delivery or private messages.

That creates a challenge for everyone working to protect young people, reduce harm and support safer communities.

Why this matters now

The Tobacco and Vapes Act creates new opportunities to regulate how tobacco and vaping products are promoted, presented and sold. It gives government a chance to deal with some of the features that have made vapes so appealing to young people, including colours, flavours, packaging and display.

But new powers need proper support behind them.

Laws can set the direction, but they rely on communication, enforcement and local intelligence to work in practice. Trading Standards teams need the capacity to act. Public health teams need clear messages that do not create panic or confusion. Schools, youth services and community partners need practical information. Communities need to know what they can report and how to do it safely.

Suzanne Cass added:

“The Tobacco and Vapes Act will provide new powers to regulate tobacco and vaping products, including how they are promoted, presented and sold. But a law is only as good as the enforcement and communication behind it.

“As we move into the next phase of regulation, we need enforcement services and public awareness campaigns to be properly resourced.

“Communities are telling us there is a problem. We need to make it easy for people to report concerns, make sure intelligence reaches enforcement agencies quickly, and give those agencies the resources they need to act.”

ASH Wales is calling for sustained investment to support community reporting, prevention and enforcement activity across Wales.

That includes long term funding for Trading Standards teams, clearer public communication on disposable style and high puff products, stronger action on products that continue throwaway vape habits, and better promotion of trusted anonymous reporting routes.

A small detail can help

If you have seen illegal tobacco, illegal vapes, products being sold to young people, online sellers or hidden stock, you can report it anonymously. A shop name, postcode, online account, product, price or repeated local concern can still help build the local picture.

Report anonymously at: noifs-nobutts.co.uk/report

ASH Wales calls on next Welsh Government to commit to a Smokefree Wales as the Tobacco and Vapes Bill receives Royal Assent 

Wales’s leading tobacco control charity is today calling on all parties contesting the Senedd election to set out how they will deliver a Smokefree Wales, as the Tobacco and Vapes Bill receives Royal Assent and becomes law. As this landmark legislation is passed, ASH Wales warns around 10 people die everyday from smoking in Wales.  

This legislation is the most significant tobacco control measure in a generation. It will make it illegal to sell tobacco to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009, and introduces new powers to regulate vaping products, including restricting marketing designed to appeal to children. ASH Wales says the law must now be backed by sustained investment in enforcement and cessation support if it is to deliver in practice for communities across Wales. 

The charity warns that while today marks an historic moment for public health, 260,000 people in Wales still smoke and will not be reached by the new legislation. The harm caused by smoking is not spread evenly, it falls hardest on the most deprived communities in Wales, where smoking rates are highest and access to cessation support is often weakest. With voters going to the polls next week, ASH Wales says the election is a critical opportunity to secure the political commitments needed to turn the law into lasting change. 

Suzanne Cass, Chief Executive of ASH Wales, said: 

“Today is a truly landmark moment for public health in Wales. A generation of young people will never be sold tobacco, and children will be protected from vapes deliberately designed to appeal to them. We should be proud of what has been achieved. 

“But 260,000 people in Wales still smoke today and this law does not reach them. Landmark legislation is only as powerful as the enforcement and investment behind it. We are calling on every party contesting this election to tell the people of Wales what they will do to make a smokefree future a reality for everyone. 

“It is no longer a question of if smoking will end in Wales, but when. The next Welsh Government has an historic opportunity to answer that question.” 

260,000 Reasons to Quit: Real Stories Highlight Wales’ No Smoking Day Campaign

This No Smoking Day 2026, we are encouraging the estimated 260,000 people in Wales who smoke to consider taking the first step towards quitting. Support is available across the country, and thousands of people successfully stop smoking every year with the right help.

Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable illness and early death in Wales, contributing to serious conditions including lung cancer, heart disease and respiratory disease.

No Smoking Day is a national moment to raise awareness about the benefits of quitting and to remind people that free stop smoking support is available through NHS Wales’ Help Me Quit service.

Smoking and health inequality in Wales

Smoking does not affect every community equally.

Our ASH Wales Annual Adult Population Survey shows a clear link between smoking and inequality across Wales. Around 8% of homeowners smoke, compared with 18% of private renters, rising to 30% among people living in social housing.

These figures highlight how tobacco harm continues to fall most heavily on disadvantaged communities.

Professor Isabel Oliver, Chief Medical Officer for Wales, said:

“Smoking is one of the leading causes of preventable illness and early death in Wales. It contributes to cancer, heart disease, and respiratory illness, burdening individuals, families, and our health service.

“As smoking rates are highest in the most underserved communities, it is also widening health inequality across Wales. While smoking rates are declining, there is still much more to do.

“Quitting smoking brings immediate and long-term health benefits, and free specialist support is available through NHS Help Me Quit. I would encourage anyone thinking about stopping to take that first step.”

How Wales is marking No Smoking Day

Across Wales, organisations are marking No Smoking Day 2026 with awareness events, displays and community engagement activities.

To support these conversations, we distributed more than 1,400 No Smoking Day campaign packs to:

• GP surgeries
• Pharmacies
• Dental practices
• Health clinics

Schools, youth services, housing organisations and community partners are also sharing campaign messages and encouraging people to access support through Help Me Quit Wales.

Voices of Wales: real stories of quitting smoking

As part of our Voices of Wales campaign, we are sharing real stories from people who have stopped smoking and experienced the benefits of quitting.

Tiffany’s story

Tiffany, a nursing assistant from Cardiff, began smoking at the age of 11. After experiencing a health scare, she decided it was time to quit. Since stopping smoking, she says her breathing has improved dramatically and she feels more energetic.

“It’s never too late to quit. Smoking was taking years off me. Quitting is giving me time back.”

You can read Tiffany’s story here

John and Tina’s story

In Newport, John and Tina decided to quit after realising they had smoked almost 200 cigarettes between them in a single day following a family celebration. Since stopping smoking, John has taken up running and is now training for the Snowdonia Marathon, and Tina volunteers with Junior Parkrun while gradually reducing her nicotine use.

Read their story here.

Suzanne Cass, Chief Executive at ASH Wales Cymru, said:

“Around 260,000 people in Wales still smoke. That is 260,000 opportunities to improve health, prevent disease, and support people to live longer, healthier lives.

“At ASH Wales, we know most people who smoke want to quit. With the right support, they are far more likely to succeed. Ensuring that support remains visible and accessible across Wales is vital.

“No Smoking Day is a chance for anyone thinking about quitting to take that first step. With free support available across Wales, no one has to do it alone.”

Support to quit smoking in Wales

Free support is available across Wales for anyone who wants to stop smoking.

The NHS Wales Help Me Quit service offers specialist advice and support to help people plan a quit attempt and stay smoke free.

You can access support in several ways:

Visit:
helpmequit.wales

Call:
0800 085 2219

Try the new Help Me Quit app

A new Help Me Quit app has launched to give people in Wales flexible digital support to quit smoking.

The free app provides personalised tools, motivation and guidance to help people manage cravings, track progress and stay focused on their goal. It is available in both Welsh and English and can connect users directly with Help Me Quit services if they would like additional support.

The app includes features such as:

• Personalised quit planning
• Craving support and practical tips
• Progress and savings trackers
• 24 hour digital support and motivation

It is free to download and available from the Apple App Store

I Want to Be Here for Them: Tiffany’s Quit Story

Tiffany, 54, has lived in Cardiff all her life and now calls Llanishen home. She works as a nursing assistant, supporting patients with routine health checks including blood tests, ECGs and diabetes care.

She started smoking at just 11 years old. Growing up in the 70s, she says, “it was the thing to do.” It felt social, grown-up, almost expected. Like many people, she never imagined it would become a lifelong habit.

But over time, things changed. By 14, smoking no longer felt social. It felt necessary. Cigarettes became tied to stress and everyday routines. “When I was stressed fag, coffee, fag.” Before she realised it, smoking was woven into her whole day. It wasn’t just something she did. It became part of daily life.

Understanding the Risks

As Tiffany grew older, smoking simply stayed with her. Through her twenties and into adulthood, it remained part of the background of her life – there in moments of stress, routine and habit.

Working in healthcare meant she understood what smoking can take from your health. She saw first hand the impact long term conditions can have. But like so many people, knowing the risks did not make quitting easy. She found herself caught in a powerful addiction. Over time, she began to feel a quiet tension between the care she gave others and the habit she was still trying to break herself.

Trying to Quit and Finding New Traps

In her early 40s, Tiffany began to feel that smoking was catching up with her. She noticed it in her breathing and energy, and she started to realise she could not ignore it forever. One moment stayed with her. “Climbing Pen Y Fan nearly finished me off. I honestly thought I was going to die.” She stopped for a couple of days afterwards, but like many people, it did not last.

Hoping for a way out, she swapped cigarettes for vaping, thinking it might help her quit. Instead, she developed what she describes as “a really bad chest, like awful,” and was later diagnosed with COPD, experiencing regular chest infections. After stopping vaping, she turned to nicotine replacement mints.

Then lockdown came. Like many people the disruption made old habits easier to slip back into. It started small. What began as “one or two with my neighbour” slowly became familiar again. Before she realised it, the routine had returned. “Before you know it I was back on it again.” “I knew it was making me bad. I wasn’t enjoying it. But I still kept doing it.”

The Moment Everything Changed

On Boxing Day last year, Tiffany became seriously unwell with norovirus, caught from her granddaughters. She now calls it “the best gift they could have given me.”

As she struggled to breathe, she could physically feel the impact smoking had had on her lungs.

“It felt like my lungs were trapped inside my ribs. Like everything had to squeeze through a thin hole. I could feel what smoking had done.”

That day, she smoked her last cigarette. “I puffed it, threw it away, and said enough was enough.” This time felt different.

“If I want to be here for 20 years at least, I need to stop now… right now.”

Quitting for Good, One Step at a Time

When cravings came back, Tiffany made a simple but powerful choice. “When the cravings came back I walked straight to the shop and bought Nicorette gum instead of cigarettes.”

Six weeks on, she is still smoke-free. This time, quitting has been about mindset as much as nicotine. She avoids triggers like alcohol and coffee, takes things step by step, and makes conscious decisions to protect her quit.

“I avoid my triggers now, alcohol, tea, coffee. I’ll have a cuppa and dunk three biscuits, and that’s enough.” Each day builds confidence.

Breathing Again and Getting Life Back

The benefits came quickly. “My breath used to come in two stages. Now I can breathe in and breathe out properly.”

Her sense of smell has returned. Food tastes better. The late-night urge for nicotine has gone. And financially, she says she has saved “a HELL of a lot of money.”

She knows there may always be moments that feel difficult. “I’ll always be a recovering nicotine addict. It was a big part of my life.”

But her motivation is clear. Tiffany has five sons and four granddaughters, and they are incredibly proud of her. “They’re going to grow up, get married, have children. I want to be here for that.”

At 54, she felt smoking was starting to take years from her life. Now, she feels like she is gaining that time back. Her message to others is simple:

“It’s never too late to quit. Smoking was taking years off me. Quitting is giving me time back.”

Help Me Quit

If you’re thinking about quitting, free NHS support is available through Help Me Quit Wales. You’re up to three times more likely to quit with support than going it alone.

Call 0800 085 2219
Text HMQ to 80818
Visit helpmequit.wales

Taking that first step could give you more time, more breath and more life with the people you love.

The Day 200 Cigarettes Changed Everything: John and Tina’s Quit Story

John Weatherbed from Newport was just 14 years old when he smoked his first cigarette. Like many people of his generation, smoking quickly became part of everyday life. It wasn’t something unusual. It was normal.

Over the years, that early experiment turned into a heavy addiction. At his peak, John was smoking up to 60 cigarettes a day.

“For years, smoking was just what I did,” John says. “It was there in the background of everything.”

Tina’s journey began a little later. She was 18 when she took up smoking, and her reason might sound familiar to many.

“I realised that the people I worked with who smoked got more breaks than I did,” Tina says. “So I joined them.”

What started as a way to fit in soon became routine. Cigarettes shaped their days, their habits, and their finances for decades.

Then came the moment that changed everything.

A Wake-Up Call After a Family Celebration

Twelve years ago, John and Tina attended their grandchild’s christening. It was a joyful day surrounded by family. The following day, they reflected on how much they had smoked.

Between them, they had gone through around 200 cigarettes in just one day.

It was a stark realisation.

“That was it for me,” John says. “I looked at what we’d done and thought, this can’t carry on.”

The day after the christening, John made the decision to quit.

Life After Smoking

Since quitting, John says his life has completely transformed.

“My breathing is so much better and I’m doing things now I’d never have done before. I’m even signed up for the Snowdonia Marathon this autumn!”

At 66, John now volunteers at Tredegar House Parkrun, giving back to his community and supporting others to get active. Training for the Snowdonia Marathon Eryri 2025 is something he never imagined possible during his years as a heavy smoker.

Quitting did not just improve his lung function. It changed how he sees himself.

Smoking once limited what he believed he could do.

Now, he is setting himself challenges that push those limits further than ever before.

Tina’s Next Chapter

Tina has also moved forward. She is now a volunteer Run Director for Junior Parkrun at Tredegar House, helping children build confidence and enjoy being active.

She has stopped smoking cigarettes and is gradually reducing her nicotine use.

“I’m still using vapes, but I’m cutting down my nicotine all the time,” she says. “I’m determined to get there.”

For Tina, quitting smoking opened doors beyond health alone.

“Since we stopped spending all that money on cigarettes, we’ve been on amazing holidays and trips. We’ve been to places and seen things we never would have before.”

The money that once disappeared into cigarette packets now goes towards experiences, travel, and memories.

More Than Just Quitting

For John and Tina, stopping smoking was not just about giving something up. It was about gaining something back.

More breath.
More energy.
More freedom.
More life.

Their story is proof that it is never too late to quit, and that the benefits can stretch far beyond what you expect.

Whether it is running a marathon, volunteering in your community, travelling to new places, or simply breathing easier each day, change is possible.

If you are thinking about quitting, support is available. You do not have to do it alone.

Free NHS support is available from Help Me Quit Wales.

Freephone 0800 085 2219
Text HMQ to 80818
Visit helpmequit.wales

Senedd Vote Moves Wales Closer to a Smokefree Generation

The Senedd has voted to support the Legislative Consent Motion for the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, marking a major moment in Wales’ efforts to create protect future generations from the harms caused by tobacco.

This decision follows years of committed work by charities, health bodies, researchers and community groups across Wales. ASH Wales has proudly led much of this work for five decades, advocating for stronger measures to reduce smoking and improve health for communities across the country.

School children from Llanyrafon Primary School joined Members of the Senedd and members of the Wales Tobacco Control Alliance at the Senedd to celebrate the vote and gather pledges backing their shared vision of a Smokefree Generation.

Once the Bill completes its progress through the UK Parliament, it can be implemented in full in Wales.

A milestone for public health

Chief Medical Officer for Wales, Isabel Oliver, said: 

“Tobacco addiction kills thousands in Wales every year and continues to drive deep inequalities in health. This Bill offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to break that cycle and protect future generations from a product that has caused immeasurable harm.”

The Bill raises the age of sale for tobacco year by year so that anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 will never be legally sold tobacco. Its aim is simple: stop addiction taking hold in the first place.

It also introduces measures to reduce youth vaping through restrictions on child-focused flavours, packaging and branding. The Bill expands rules on advertising and promotion, closes gaps in regulation for all nicotine products and prevents free vapes being handed to under-18s.

The enforcement framework will be strengthened through £200 Fixed Penalty Notices for underage sales, and new powers for Welsh Ministers to introduce retailer licensing, expand smokefree public spaces, ban vape vending machines and set tighter rules for advertising and product design.

Leadership from Wales

Chief Executive of ASH Wales, Suzanne Cass, said: “

This is an historic day for Wales. It represents half a century of work by ASH Wales and years of coordinated campaigning from organisations across the country.

“Welsh Government has already shown leadership, from smokefree playgrounds to smokefree hospitals, and once again they have listened to the people of Wales and acted to protect children from the world’s deadliest legal consumer product.”

“With Scotland, Northern Ireland and England already progressing, today’s decision ensures Wales is not left behind at a critical moment for tobacco control.”

“Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death in Wales, with the greatest burden falling on our most deprived communities.  This vote marks one of the most significant public health reforms in a generation, signaling a clear commitment to reducing cancer, tackling inequality and protecting young people long into the future.

“Tobacco addiction still has a firm grip on our communities with more than 320,000 adults in Wales still smoking, we need to ensure we also strengthening support to help people quit so that no community is left behind.”

Voting result

The Legislative Consent Motion was approved with 36 votes in favour, 2 abstentions and 9 against.