Children hooked on vaping and smoking AGED 13 prescribed nicotine patches on the NHS

Teenagers as young as 13 are being prescribed nicotine patches and gum by the NHS in Scotland amid concerns about the enormous numbers of children using vapes.

Doctors have issued more than 1,000 prescriptions for nicotine patches and gum to addicted youngsters in the past two years.

The number of those aged between 16 and 18 being prescribed the smoking cessation treatments increased by almost 60 per cent last year.

Almost one in five Scottish children under the legal age to buy nicotine products – currently 18 – have tried vaping, latest figures show.

Meanwhile around 16 per cent have tried smoking, according to a Scottish Government survey published last year.

Experts said tobacco and vape companies had ‘lured’ swathes of children into addiction and demanded the SNP government crack down on smoking and vaping.

Sheila Duffy, chief executive of health charity ASH Scotland, said: ‘Tobacco industry promotions have lured the young into starting to use their addictive, harmful products for decades and the same is happening with vapes.

‘The uptake of tobacco and nicotine products by children demonstrates the need for strong measures in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill to lower the risk of damage to young people’s lives from health-harming products marketed by the corporations that profit from them. Studies consistently show that young people who use vapes are up to three times at greater risk of starting to smoke tobacco and this is a huge public health concern.’

Almost a fifth of Scottish children under the legal age to buy nicotine products have tried vaping. 

Critics say the SNP Government has failed to tackle the vaping epidemic among youngsters.

Scottish Conservative health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said: ‘As a parent, I find it deeply concerning that kids as young as 13 are now being prescribed nicotine replacements.

‘The SNP have failed to tackle the vaping epidemic that has led to thousands of children becoming addicted to those products. Ministers must ensure that upcoming laws banning the use of single-use vapes are robustly enforced.’

Public Health Scotland data, exclusively extracted for The Mail on Sunday, shows that in 2023, 166 children between the ages of 13 and 15 were handed prescriptions for Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT). 

Meanwhile, there were 289 NRT prescriptions for 16-18-year-olds. Last year, 116 13-15 year-olds were given the prescriptions, while 461 in the 16-18 bracket were given replacement nicotine products, representing a 59 per cent increase on the previous year for that age range.

There are seven types of NRT which NHS Scotland offers, including gum, patches, lozenges and sprays. 

They work to gradually reduce addiction by using a dose of therapeutic nicotine that does not contain the other harmful chemicals associated with cigarettes or vaping.

From June 1, the UK is banning the sale and supply of single-use vapes, to protect children’s health and prevent environmental damage.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘NRT is one of the most effective aids for managing nicotine dependence and is licensed from the age of 12.

‘We are working hard to tackle youth smoking and vaping, including working closely with the UK Government and other devolved nations on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. This will gradually increase the age of sale for the products and create a tobacco-free generation.’