Tighter Restrictions on Vaping

Have Your Say!

The government has announced that it intends to introduce new legislation with tighter restrictions on vaping. Being considered are;

tighter controls over how vape products are described
plain packaging, removing logos and bright colours
banning vape flavours to just tobacco and mint
instore display restrictions similar to cigarettes
a total ban on disposable vapes

They are also considering introducing a new tax on e-cigarettes and e-liquids on top of the 20% value-added tax (VAT) you already pay. Vaping contributes £3BN to the UK economy annually.

Marketing

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) already places tight restrictions on how vape products are promoted, with restrictions on incentives and commission of particular images and messages in advertising. The government now aims to take this further by introducing a ban on the application of cartoon characters and logos that appear to appeal to children. Combined with the introduction of plain packaging, it aims to bring vape products ‘point of sale’ restrictions in line with cigarette advertising and marketing.

Restrictions on sales

By ensuring stores remove vape products from open display, they hope this will further reduce the appeal to children. Many in the industry feel that vape products should only be traded by licenced re-sellers, similar to cigarettes and alcohol. Which would remove them from sweet shops and 'corner stores'.

Flavour ban

The banning of vape flavours except for tobacco and mint flavours is again in response to the opinion that many current sweet and fruit flavours appeal to children, fueling the increase in vaping in the under-18 age group. The UK Vape Industry Association (UKVIA) has long argued against this. They recently took part in a government committee (Health & Social Care Committee) review on vaping, where they again raised the issue of flavours, with representatives of the UKVIA raising the point that different flavours appeal to adults and that many succeed with vaping because of these flavours.

A total ban on disposable vapes

Also being considered is a total ban on disposable vapes as the answer to the many concerns that they are responsible for the increase in the number of under-18-year-olds vaping and calls from environmentalists and local councils who are concerned with the impact that they are having on the environment. Unfortunately, they ignore the fact that many adults have successfully used disposable vape products to quit smoking, in part due to the low cost of these products.

Responsible retailers and manufacturers like ourselves make every effort and invest hundreds of pounds every year in age verification tools and guidance to prevent the sale of vape products, including disposables, to those under 18. Rather than a total ban, many in the industry have suggested restricting the sale of these products to accountable retailers and more resources employed to enforce this.

Your support counts

This consultation is currently taking place, so there is still a chance for you to have your say. Support your right to vape by visiting the government online consultation page and completing the questionnaire to ensure your voice is heard.

HAVE YOUR SAY