Industry Responds To Government Action
The Association of Convenience Stores, the UK Vaping Industry Association, and the Independent British Vape Trade Association have responded to the Government’s ecig “crackdown”
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by Dave Cross
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The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) welcomed the proposed measures which also included a provision to send dedicated police liaison officers into schools to somehow keep vapes out.
ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “The vaping market has grown significant over the past few years and convenience retailers have continued to act responsibly in the sale of these products by implementing age verification policies such as Challenge25. We welcome further resource to tackle underage vaping and the proposed ban on giving away free vapes to children – this simply does not happen in our sector and of course should not be legal.
“Now is the time for action against the irresponsible sale of these products to protect children and responsible retailers. There needs to be swift and decisive enforcement action on the ground to send the message that vaping products need to be sold responsibly to ensure the safety of our communities.”
The ACS says it has developed “comprehensive guidance alongside Surrey and Buckinghamshire Trading Standards on how to sell vapes responsibly and encourages retailers to use the robust Challenge25 policy for the sale of vapes, as is already the case for other age restricted products like alcohol or tobacco.”
The UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) also “welcomes the government clampdown on rogue firms” and says it is urging the government to introduce fines of up to £10,000 per instance for every retailer caught selling a vape to children.
John Dunne, Director General of the UKVIA, said the new announcement echoes calls made by the UKVIA for more than a year and said it was important to tackle illegal youth vaping while also recognising the enormous value that vaping has in helping many addicted smokers quit cigarettes.
Dunne said: “The UKVIA fully supports the government’s actions to protect minors and urges the Prime Minister to ensure that this tough stance is followed up with equally tough action.
“For too long some rogue firms have felt they had free reign to sell a product designed to help adult smokers quit, to youngsters because they realised that the chances of getting caught were slim at best.
“Even if they get caught, the fines – which have been as low as just £26 – are no deterrent so we welcome the review into fines and repeat our calls that they should be up to £10,000 per instance and be backed up by a retail licensing scheme which would include age verification requirements and robust enforcement by Trading Standards departments up and down the country.
“Sadly, many Trading Standards departments are not resourced anywhere near enough to clampdown on the illicit and illegal vape sales and this is an issue that the government should now look at very seriously indeed.
“Data in the possession of the UKVIA shows that very few prosecutions have been made for under age or illicit sales across the country and this must be addressed as a matter of urgency.”
The Director General added: “Unless unscrupulous traders know that selling vapes to children is an endeavour which would be financially ruinous to them then they will continue to do so.
“We also welcome the announcement that the government are looking at the position of zero nicotine vapes and the UKVIA is on record, on multiple occasions, in calling for nicotine free vapes to be covered by exactly the same regulations which prevent the sales of nicotine vapes to those under 18. We hope that they will also now be included in the same testing and registration process that nicotine containing liquids and devices must undergo.
“We totally agree that there can be no justification in giving free vape samples to children – whether or not they contain nicotine – but any new measures the government does impose in this area must not impact on the tremendous work being done by stop smoking centres around the country.”
The Independent British Vape Trade Association (IBVTA) also takes a dim view of traders who are bringing the industry into disrepute.
It said: “The government’s Call for Evidence on youth vaping launched last month will build on [its] action by looking at evidence into the appeal of vapes as well as the marketing and promotion of vapes, including on social media, to identify opportunities to reduce the number of children accessing and using vape products – and explore where government can go further.”
The IBVTA states that it believes “there is a clear association between the sale of illegal vapes and sales to young people. We have for some time called for additional resources to help Trading Standards teams apply more meaningful enforcement to the sale of vape products.
“In our meeting with Public Health Minister Neil O’Brien last week, we urged a focus on effective enforcement at the UK’s borders. Both Trading Standards and the legitimate vape trade will benefit from the prevention of illegal products arriving on the UK market in the first place.”
Gillian Golden, IBVTA’s CEO said: “Selling products to under 18s has been illegal for some years now, as have proxy sales. Those who ignore the law bring reputable retailers who uphold strict age verification protocols into disrepute. We welcome the planned review on bringing nicotine free products under existing rules and we look forward to continuing to support enforcement agencies in tackling illicit trade and illegal products.
“The loophole allowing free samples to be distributed regardless of consumer age is a gap that no self-respecting business should ever have considered exploiting. The IBVTA applauds the announcement that such activity will soon be illegal.
“While it’s concerning that access to vapes by young people on the increase, it’s encouraging to see the Government’s continued recognition of the important role that vaping plays in driving down adult smoking rates.”
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.
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