Scotland’s Possible Vape Ban
The Daily Mail reports that Scotland is giving serious consideration to implementing a rolling ban on vapes as well as tobacco for children aged 14 and under – described as concerning by a consumer organisation
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by Dave Cross
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Michael Landl, Director of the World Vapers’ Alliance, expressed serious reservations about this move: "While the intention to curb smoking is commendable, it’s concerning that the Scottish Government is considering extending this ban to vaping. It’s important to remember that it's already illegal for teenagers to buy vapes. Adding another layer of prohibition doesn't solve the underlying issues. Instead, we need to focus on enforcing existing laws more effectively and addressing the reasons why teenagers start smoking or vaping in the first place."
The Daily Mail's report suggests that anyone born in 2009 or later – currently 14 or younger – will never be able to buy tobacco or vape products in Scotland legally. This approach, according to Landl, could lead to unintended consequences.
Landl said: "Will there be vape smuggling gangs operating bringing vapes from England into Scotland? As absurd as this sounds, we have seen in the past what prohibition leads to. Prohibition has a history of failure, and this is no different. Banning the most successful smoking cessation tool in history makes little sense and is counterproductive. We have seen similar approaches fail disastrously in Australia, leading to a booming black market.”
Landl further emphasises the distinction between smoking and vaping: “Equating vaping with smoking and subjecting them to the same regulations is a fundamental misunderstanding of harm reduction. Vaping is not smoking and should not be treated as such. By embracing harm reduction and recognising the unique role of vaping, Scotland has the opportunity to make a significant positive impact on public health.”
The World Vapers’ Alliance says it is urging the Scottish Government to reconsider this approach and adopt policies that genuinely reflect the differences between smoking and vaping, focusing on harm reduction and public health.
The World Vapers’ Alliance says it, “amplifies the voices of vapers worldwide and empowers them to make a difference in their communities. Our members are vapers associations as well as individual vapers from all over the world.”
Michael Landl is the director of the World Vapers’ Alliance. He is from Austria and is based in Vienna. He is an experienced policy professional and a passionate vaper. He studied at the University of St. Gallen and worked for several public policy outlets and as well in the German Parliament.
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Photo by Eric Welch on Unsplash
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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