Black Country children are 'swapping dummies for vapes', councillor says
Dudley children are swapping dummies for vapes according to a councillor who wants more action in schools to prevent smoking.
Speaking at a meeting of Dudley Council’s Social Care and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee on March 16, Cllr Sue Ridney called for public health officials to do more to educate young people about the dangers of vaping.
The council is set to receive a grant of £376,364 to commission smoking cessation services in 2025/26 and councillors were having their say on how to spend the cash.
To illustrate her point, Cllr Ridney described what she saw from the window of the Council House before the meeting started.
She said: “There were youngsters standing on the road with their little vapes – they were like dummies.
“We wean our children off dummies then give them a vape, we need to be doing more to encourage children not to start with vapes because there is as much danger in that vape as there is in tobacco.
“We should have a programme in schools, help should be provided but you just don’t see it.
“That is part of Public Health’s job to be out there, we should not have people coming in to ask, we should be in their faces saying ‘this is what we are providing’.”
The NHS Quit Smoking website says vaping is not as harmful as smoking but agrees non-smokers and children should never vape.
Dudley receives a number of ring-fenced grants to promote public health which translates into spending of £76 per head of population.
Dudley spends less than Wolverhampton (£91 per head) and Sandwell (£88 per head) but is higher than Walsall and Solihull (£71 and £60 per head respectively).
Cllr Ridney added public health should be part of many areas of council policy including planning.
Councillors consider planning applications for vape shops and off-licences and Cllr Ridney is concerned a high volume of shops in a small area could encourage bad habits.
She said: “We are told when we come to vote ‘you can’t complain there is one one round the corner’, why not? Now is the time. Let’s get back on track.”
