Trading Standards Estimate 1/3 of all Vape Products are Illegal

There has been a growing interest in the legality of vape products sold in the UK.

A recent study by Trading Standards Institute revealed that the Trading Standards service is “overwhelmed” by the high numbers of fake vape devices on the streets of Britain.

As VapeDirect.com customers know, illegal disposable vapes, high nicotine content vape juices, and devices which exceed 2ml of liquids, are all illegal in Britain. For the last few years, trading standards officials have carried out raids on suppliers all over the UK. 1 in 3 of these suppliers are selling to minors, too. This is fuelling the teen vaping issue.

In light of the size of the issue, The UK Vaping Industry Association has resubmitted their initial proposal. This placed a £10,000 fine on the spot for any supplier found stoking these illegal products. With the problem spiralling beyond control, it looks like the only way forward is through tougher regulations.

Illegal Vape Devices are a Threat to Public Health

Vaping illegal devices is harmful, causing outbreaks of diseases such as popcorn lung. Products which use legally compliant UK ingredients don’t contribute to popcorn lung. Diacetyl is banned in the UK but still used in America.

The massive task which lies ahead is to protect people from these illegal devices before it comes to illegal distribution, lack of labelling, excess liquid, or nicotine content, and so on. Respiratory infections are no joke and often come from vape juice which has not passed a safety check or become registered with UK authorities.

What are UK Regulations on Vapes?

The UK government imposes the following sanctions on vape products:

• Vape Device Tanks should have no more than 2ml capacity.
• Vape juice bottles should not hold more than 10ml total.
• Of those 10ml bottles, none should contain more than a maximum of 20mg nicotine.
• The packaging must be child resistant.
• They must strictly adhere to the banned ingredients, including diacetyl and vitamin e acetate, and cannot contain taurine or caffeine.
• Adhere to the new warning label regulations, introduced in 2020.
• Inform the MHRA about the intention to supply before they go on sale.

A quick note on shortfill bottles. These may contain more than 10ml because they do not contain nicotine. You can buy a nicotine shot separately to add to these.

How to Spot Illegal Vapes Products?

You can spot a fake disposable by looking at that puff count. Is it over 600 puffs? Does it have more than 2ml liquid in it? Does the branding look real. Read the words carefully since fake juices and devices often imitate the real version’ branding. You can study up on how you can spot illegal vapes and protect yourself in our previous blog.

Remember: in an uncertain world, you can always trust Vape Direct to sell you high quality, affordable, completely legal vape products, Visit our Milton Keynes stores to be sure of what you buy.