When the Volstead Act was first passed in 1919, everyone thought it would be one of the most consequential moments in terms of controlling crimes linked to alcohol. However, when historians discuss that act nowadays, they all agree that the act only forced the alcohol and beverage industry to go underground, making it even harder for the government to curb excessive alcohol use. Therefore, since then, most countries have deemed it better to legalize alcohol rather than banning it together.

The same argument can be laid down about smoking and vaping as the use of nicotine is becoming more and more apparent in teens, forcing the government to lay down strict laws. One of the latest addictions amongst teens is e-cigarettes or vapes that use a heating element to vaporize nicotine-containing liquids.

While nicotine itself is not as harmful as the substances present in a cigarette, there are still many health risks that need to be addressed, which is why vaping is considered a problem.

In the UK, the growing rate of vape products has significantly culled down the smoking epidemic; it doesn’t mean that the government can allow the products to be used freely. There have been some laws regarding vape usage as it is prohibited to under 18 year olds, but the fact is that no one really cares about it or seems to do anything about it. According to a recent study, the number of people vaping in the UK has reached a whopping 3.6 million.

The study further reveals that of all the vape users, almost 54% of them have given up on smoking, 40% of people smoke and vape, and 6% have never smoked in their life. When you look at these statistics, the numbers are very promising in terms of quitting smoking, but it is creating a whole problem on its own. There is still a limited amount of data available about vaping and its effect, hindering lawmakers and government officials from doing proper research about it and devising certain regulatory acts.

There has been a tight grip on e-cigarette manufacturers in Britain as they must submit a proper notification to concerned authorities before launching a new product in the market. In addition, the product is tested for quality and safety regulations to ensure that there aren’t any toxicological ingredients involved. Most of the vaping products used in Britain are solely meant for nicotine purposes instead of drug use. It is another reason why the situation hasn’t gone out of hand like in the US or other countries.

However, just because the situation hasn’t gotten out of hand doesn’t mean that it will.

Vaping doesn’t have to be turned into a norm because it helps people give up on smoking. Instead, there needs to be proper research done about it, and the Britain government must impose strict regulations so that vaping doesn’t turn out to be just another medium for using drugs.

Michelle Minton, a member of the Competitive Enterprise Institution, claims that a ban on flavours, devices, or nicotine levels will have the same effect as every other prohibition. People will turn to illicit dealers or try to do it themselves. And, as we saw with the outbreak of tainted THC, this will result in overdoses, injury, and death. So, there needs to be swift action to legalise vaping before it turns into a moral dilemma. Then, people start arguing whether it is the right thing to do, considering how helpful it is for quitting smoking.