
More than half of Welsh adults who have heard of vapes wrongly believe vaping is as harmful as smoking or worse, new ASH Wales YouGov findings show.
More than half of Welsh adults who have heard of vapes wrongly believe vaping is as harmful as smoking or worse, new ASH Wales YouGov findings show.
A new UK excise duty on vaping products starts today, 1 October 2026. Here is what the £2.20 per 10ml duty, new vape duty stamps and higher tobacco duty mean in Wales.
SAFETY / COMPLIANCE ALERT
UK Trading Standards testing found nicotine in some vapes sold as nicotine-free. A 0% or nicotine-free label should not be treated as proof of contents.
PRODUCT WATCH
Official explanatory notes identify gels, creams, cheek absorption and nasal inhalers as plausible future consumer nicotine delivery routes. This is a foresight signal, not evidence that these products are established in Wales.
PRODUCT WATCH
Nicotine-free caffeine pouches are being sold in the UK in the same under-the-lip format as nicotine pouches, including products containing high doses of caffeine.
SAFETY ALERT
Cannabinoid vapes may be labelled with names such as HHC, HHC-P, THC-P or THC-O, but UK testing shows that labels and claimed contents cannot be relied on.

Ask each group to name the one thing they want someone to think, feel or do after seeing their campaign.
The campaign should focus on pressure linked to smoking, vaping or nicotine pouches. Young people could explore pressure from friends, appealing flavours, product design, social media, fitting in or claims that make nicotine products sound harmless.
Give each group a pressure card and choose the campaign format for them.
Ask young people to create two versions of the same message: one for ages 7–10 and one for ages 10–14. Compare how the language, design and level of detail change.
Use fictional, campaign-made visuals rather than real product branding. Campaigns must not shame, frighten or blame people who smoke, vape or experience nicotine dependence. No one needs to discuss personal experiences.
Download the activity PDF or go back to the resource hub to find another activity.
Tell us how it went. It takes about a minute and helps us understand how Nicofiends is being used with young people across Wales.