Policy News

Over 20 years ago, Scotland became the first UK nation to ban smoking in enclosed public spaces. Exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke has fallen by 96% since the legislation was implemented on March 26, 2006. A new study, published in the journal Tobacco-Induced Diseases, reveals that nearly one in four people are still being exposed to tobacco smoke in settings the law does not fully cover. This raises the question of what it will take to finish what the ban started. Content was selected from the full article and edited for clarity and length. Click “read more” below to access the article.

More than 6 million vapes and vape pods are still being discarded every week in the UK, despite the ban on disposable e-cigarettes almost a year ago. Since 2025, there has been a 23% reduction in the number of vapes improperly discarded. However, waste management and spontaneous fires from lithium batteries remain a problem despite the ban on sales. Fires have caused localized spikes in air pollution, posing health risks to nearby communities.