The UK Might Ban Disposable Vapes

We Take A Look At The Disposable Vape Industry Boom That Has Been Seen In The United Kingdom 2021

The vape industry has responded to comments in the media regarding the threat of a rise in illegal vapes being seized and the claimed danger of flavoured products which ultimately could result in disposable e-cigarettes being banned across the UK.

The Chartered Trading Standards Institute has recently been in the news commenting on the proliferation of illegal vape products being seized by officers in England and Wales, amounting to 1.4 tonnes of products in the last half of 2022 – and this was just in the North-East of England alone! It believes the situation ranks as the number one high street threat and is leading to fears about sales to young people.

What is the problem with disposable vapes?

Chartered Trading Standards Institute Chief Executive John Herriman told the media: “We are worried about increasing breaches of the law. There is also an increasing problem with vaping products being sold to children in many general retail premises such as mobile phone shops, gift shops and convenience stores.”

We’ve written an article on how to recycle your disposable vape.

What is the threat from the disposable vape industry?

The environmental impact of dumping disposable products on the street and in waste bins has created a situation where Scotland is considering banning them while a 10 Minute Bill will be presented in Parliament on Wednesday 8th February aimed at banning all disposable vapes.

Last week, many radio stations hosted phone-ins on the subject, and almost all contributors expressed concern about “single-use items, like disposable vapes, are becoming an all-too-common eyesore in areas where we live, work, and socialise”.

Momentum appears to be increasing behind the push to come down hard on smokers’ most popular form of vape alternative.

How has the vape industry responded to this news?

UK Vaping Industry Association Director General John Dunne recently spoke to Channel 4 News.

When asked about flavours promoting vaping to teenagers, he said: “Nobody who does not smoke should be using these products whether they are young or old. It is also important to remember that lots of adult products come in flavour, you can even buy bubble-gum flavoured gin.”

The reporter asked him about the possible unknown long-term effects of vaping.

John Dunne responded: “We do know the health effects of smoking which is that if you smoke there is a one in two chance that you will die.”

Dunne has previously pointed out that the illegal product problem arises from the import of devices produced for markets that don’t have the same level of regulation that we do in the United Kingdom.

John Dunne explained how people can tell an illegal product from a legal disposable vape: “Tell-tale signs that a vaping product is not legal to include a puff count far greater than 600 and nicotine levels higher than 2% which is the maximum level allowed in the UK.

“Frankly I am not surprised by the findings of the CTSI because the UKVIA has been dealing directly with Trading Standards, the MHRA and Border Force over this issue and I have been on several raids with Trading Standards officers in Westminster.

What does UKVIA want to see done about disposable vapes?

Dunne called for an increased level of fines (£10,000 has been suggested) for shops selling illegal products and for Trading Standards departments to receive greater levels of funding to enable them to conduct more raids.

Also, the UK Vaping Industry Association wants to see a licensing scheme for the retail industry where everyone has to pay in order to have permission to sell vapes. It believes this money could then be used to fully fund “greater Trading Standards enforcement.”

Here at E-Liquids UK, we have seen a huge uptake in disposable vapes, while we see the convenience our staff are always trying to show customers more cost-effective sustainable solutions. We also maintain a strict age verification system to protect children from purchasing disposables from our website.

 

notification icon

We'd like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.