U.S.THE BBN INTERVIEW
Why people who have never smoked are getting hooked on vaping
The Office for National Statistics says more than a million people who never smoked now vape, a trend that worries parents; officials keep finding someone else to credit.
Watch it as it aired: Vera Bullock on this story, from BBN Tonight at 8:18 PM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are BBC's, the jokes are ours.
At a glance
- First reported by BBC: “Why people who have never smoked are getting hooked on vaping”.
- Covered on BBN on Friday, October 16, 2026, at 8:18 PM ET on BBN Tonight, by Vera Bullock.
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
What BBN said about it

Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorBut here's the story. More than one million people in Britain now vape who have never smoked, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Cornelius Abernathy-HaleAh. Well, that is clearly the previous minister's doing, and the shopkeepers, and frankly the weather. As I predicted.

Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorYour office licensed a vape shop next to the primary school last spring. Did you predict that, too?
Cornelius Abernathy-HaleI cut that ribbon in a purely ceremonial capacity. Look at these scissors. They have never harmed anyone.

Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorScissors?
Cornelius Abernathy-HaleCeremonial scissors, Vera. Four feet long. As I predicted, ten years ago, I would need them, and here we are.

Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorSo you predicted a million new vapers, and you licensed the shops anyway. Let me ask you again: whose responsibility is this?
Cornelius Abernathy-HaleParents, mostly, and teenagers, and the shops. Not the ministry. The ministry is the reason anyone is breathing at all.

Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorMinister, a prediction is something you say before it happens. You've been using it for things that already did.
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