The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called for the sale of vapes and cigarettes to be banned near schools in order to protect children’s health, reports itv News.

The WHO said that the “tobacco industry relentlessly targets young people” by making products such as single-use vapes more affordable. It also said that banning the sale of such products near schools could work towards “educating a nicotine and tobacco-free generation”.
According to itv News, the WHO has issued new guide which aims to help schools and teachers to make school campuses smoke- and nicotine-free by introducing new policies such as
prohibiting the sale of tobacco and nicotine products, such as vapes, near schools.
This comes after the UK government said it was thinking about following New Zealand’s example and banning cigarettes for the next generation. The UK is ahead of the WHO’s recommendations in many areas surrounding tobacco products but is yet to adopt similar rules for vaping.
Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), said the UK was already successful in banning cigarettes from schools and thinks the government needs to take similar steps for vapes.
“Most children get their vapes in shops so we also want a ban on advertising and in-store promotion and display in any shop accessible to children and taxes on the cheapest products to stop them being available at pocket money prices, while keeping them cheaper than cigarettes for adult smokers who want to quit,” she said.