Businesses have generally welcomed the forthcoming ban on disposable vapes to protect children's health despite the potential impact it will have on trade.
They are to be banned as part of a government plan to tackle the rise in young people vaping.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the ban on Monday – using powers already in place under the Environmental Protection Act – which is expected to come into force at the end of 2024 or the start of 2025.
Measures will also be introduced to prevent vapes being marketed at children and to target under-age sales.
It is already illegal to sell vapes to anyone under 18, but evidence shows disposable vapes - which are cheaper and sold in smaller, more colourful packaging than refillable ones - are driving the rise in youth vaping.
News of the ban has been welcomed by local vape shops, which believe it will have a positive health impact and cut down on waste. They feel the ban will mainly affect corner shops and supermarkets which sell the non-refillable items.
Grant Jones from Wessex Vapes in Dorchester said: "The industry is against disposable vapes. It causes too much waste and is too easy for kids to access.
"The corner shops are just trying to replace cigarettes. The whole point of the industry is to quit smoking."
When asked about the impact on his business Mr Jones replied: "I was around before disposables, I will be around after."
Charlotte Barnes owns Vape d'Ami on Great George Street in Weymouth.
She welcomes the ban saying: "He (the prime minister) is right in what he saying with all the kids starting vaping. We have had kids come in here and try to get them. I have a stepson who says they are being sold at school.
"I am happy they will be banned. I am not big on landfill and I see them on the street all the time.
"I think corner shops have been taking business away, and there are so many fakes out there which scare me."
She added that sales of the disposables had been on the decline even before the ban.
Kevin Chalmers, an employee at Tidal Vape on St Mary Street in Weymouth said: "It will have an impact that is a no-brainer. It could go either way but for me, it's good for the environment because of the batteries."
However, Muntazir Dipoti, the National President of the Federation of the Independent Retailers, warned the ban will only fuel illicit sales.
The UK Vaping Industry Association said it is "dismayed" by the ban on disposables "which have played a key role in helping millions of adults quit and stay off cigarettes".
Vaping is less harmful than smoking, but it has not been around for long enough for its long-term risks to be known, according to the NHS.
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