Government Announces a New Bill for Vapes
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Time to read 1 min
The UK government have proposed a new “tobacco and vapes” bill which they aim to bring into effect in the coming year.
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill of 2024 was presented to the House of Commons on March 20th, with proposals suggesting it is a separate bill from the banning of disposable vapes, a move set to come into play before the bill would regulate vape devices.
New Tobacco and Vapes Bill Targets Youth Vaping
The Government argues that although vapes are “substantially less harmful” than smoking because there is no tobacco involved. However, in the same statement they announced that the number of children (those under 16) using vapes illegally has tripled over three years. An estimated 20.5% of all children have tried vaping before legal age.
Among other features contained within the bill, the new rules will make it illegal to sell any tobacco products to those born after January 1st, 2009. This move ties in with the government’s vow to create a smoke-free generation by 2030.
The hope is that by eliminating sales to those youngest and most vulnerable members of society will decrease nicotine addiction rates to the point that smoking will eventually become eradicated.
What the Tobacco and Vapes Bill Covers
The tobacco and vapes bill will tackle the following issues:
- Make it illegal to sell any tobacco products to those born after 1st January 2009.
- Make proxy purchasing (that’s buying tobacco products for a young person) illegal.
- Ensure new signage in establishments selling tobacco products.
- Allow the regulation of the aesthetic, flavourings, and point of sale advertising.
- It will make it illegal for non-nicotine vapes to be sold to those under the age of 18 in England and Wales. Scotland already has this law in place.
- The tobacco and vapes bill will allow the issue of fixed penalty notices for breaking the rules.
- Trading Standards will now have the ability to fine premises breaking the rules up to £2,500.
You can review the entire bill for yourself courtesy of UK Parliament here.
Don’t Get Caught Out!
There is no way to get around the law and there is no way that you should be vaping if you are not of legal age anyway. However, you can still find pod kits, all the latest vaping guides and news, replacement pods and coils, and all manner of vaping goodies at VapeDirect.com – but we warn you; our products are only for adults.
