The government introduced a bill in parliament yesterday to fulfil its promise to phase out smoking among young people and crack down on vaping.
Under the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, children turning 15 this year or younger will never legally be able to buy tobacco with the aim of creating a smoke-free generation. The phased approach means anyone who can legally buy tobacco now will not be prevented from doing so in future.
Meanwhile, in response to the rise in the number of children using vapes, the bill will also introduce new powers to restrict vape flavours and packaging that is said to target children. The powers will also allow the government to change how vapes are displayed in shops, moving them out of sight of children and away from products that appeal to them, like sweets.
Under the bill, enforcement officers’ powers will be strengthened, with retailers facing ‘on the spot fines’ of £100 if they break the new laws. This builds on a maximum £2,500 fine that local authorities can already impose. It will also no longer be legal to give free samples of vapes to under 18s.
Additionally, the government has committed to ban the sale and supply of disposable vapes from April 2025 under separate environmental legislation. Disposable vapes are said to have been a key driver behind the dramatic rise in youth vaping in recent years.
“If we want to build a better future for our children, we need to tackle the single biggest entirely preventable cause of ill health, disability and death: smoking,” said Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak.
“That is why, alongside new measures to curb the alarming rise in youth vaping, we are delivering on our commitment to create a smoke-free generation and stop our kids from getting hooked on harmful cigarettes and other nicotine products.”
Health campaigners welcomed the legislation, with Deborah Arnott, Chief Executive of Action on Smoking and Health (Ash), describing it as “groundbreaking”.
She added: “Smoking is the silent killer that hides in plain sight, killing more people than Covid at the height of the pandemic. Ending this scourge on society cannot come soon enough.”
However, James Lowman, Chief Executive of the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS), warned that the generational ban on tobacco products would significantly impact retailers as it involves training staff on a separate age-restricted sales policy beyond the widely utilised Challenge25 procedures.
He added: “Despite the introduction of the Bill today, we are still awaiting detail on how the government aims to restrict the vaping market, which it is currently running a number of chaotic disconnected workstreams on. The timescale for the introduction of the disposables ban has been set at April 2025, when retailers will have to restructure their vaping displays and gantries to switch solely to pod systems and rechargeable devices, but the timescale for further restrictions on those gantries is as yet unknown – meaning retailers will have to disrupt their businesses twice in quick succession.
“Yet again the government have failed to arm Trading Standards teams with powers to enforce these policies properly. Token £100 fixed penalty notices for failing to adhere to vaping restrictions and the generational ban demonstrates how far off the mark this government is with its enforcement strategy.
“There is a clear issue with the illicit trade in vaping and tobacco that needs to be addressed, as it is rogue sellers that are supplying dodgy products to anyone who wants them, including children, and operating without fear of reproach from Trading Standards teams that are already stretched beyond their limits. What we need is a coherent strategy focused on enforcing the rules that we already have and providing enforcement teams with enough resources to be able to do their jobs properly. New regulations that only affect responsible retailers will do nothing to deter the criminals that are importing and selling illicit products.”
