UK vaping industry proposes £10,000 fines for retailers selling vapes to children

According to foreign reports today, UK e-cigarette manufacturers are calling for a £10,000 fine for any retailer found selling e-cigarettes to children, as part of an industry proposal to combat the increasingly severe crisis.

Although selling e-cigarettes to children under 18 is illegal, the UK e-cigarette industry association (UKVIA) states that unethical retailers continue to violate regulations.

It demands on-the-spot personal fines for the directors and owners of violating retailers, calling for the fines to be increased to four times the current £2,500 cap.

UKVIA's director general John Dunne said: "No more finger-wagging; it's time to hit criminals where it hurts the most—in their pockets."

The organization, representing brands like JUUL and Geek Bar, also calls for mandatory registration for all e-cigarette retailers and regular purchase tests to see if they are conducting age checks for those under 18 to better regulate the issue.

Retailers will face strict eligibility restrictions to join the mandatory paid registration program and must conduct educational programs on selling e-cigarettes.

Failure to comply will enable trading standards to revoke the registration of repeat offenders, thus removing their ability to sell e-cigarette products. 

Mr. Dunne said: "Now is the time to take tough action against those who are getting away with it and making big profits through continuous violations. By allowing trading standards to more robustly and effectively regulate retailers, I believe we can make a significant impact on the issue of e-cigarettes among young people."

He added that these proposals aim not only to stop rogue retailers but also to allow the government to properly regulate the issue through trading standards enforcement officers.

Nearly one in ten middle school students now regularly use e-cigarettes—double the rate in 2014.

There is now a designated e-cigarette shop on almost every street in the country, with e-cigarettes available at nearly every newsstand for as low as £5.

However, unlike tobacco, these devices do not need to be hidden behind shutters, even though some devices contain nicotine equivalent to 50 cigarettes.

They are often sold in eye-catching displays and come in various colors and child-friendly names and flavors, such as bubblegum, jelly babies, and strawberry milkshake.

Windsor MP and vice-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on E-Cigarettes Adam Afriyie stated that these proposals are exactly what is needed, as young people's use of e-cigarettes has no place in society, and limiting e-cigarette use is key.

"As early as 2015, the government banned the sale of e-cigarettes to children, but the situation of young people using e-cigarettes is concerning, indicating that more measures must be taken to effectively regulate the sale of these products by law," Mr. Afriyie said. "Taking a tough stance against retailers selling e-cigarettes to children is the right approach."

These proposals were made after the UK Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) issued a statement calling for the government to provide urgent support and clarification, as the scale of non-compliant e-cigarettes and concerns over sales to minors are snowballing and spiraling out of control.

CTSI stated: "The trading standards team is very dispersed, enforcing laws on a range of issues from food standards to product safety. We need more field personnel to help enforce regulations. 

Concerns have also been raised about counterfeit products, as Trading Standards reports that the prevalence of non-compliant and counterfeit e-cigarettes is rapidly increasing. However, they claim they do not have enough enforcement personnel to adequately address this issue and are calling for more resources, stronger powers, and harsher penalties. 

Despite the fact that selling e-cigarettes to children under 18 is illegal, the use of e-cigarettes has been surging for years. Data shows that the rate has doubled in less than a decade.

A report from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) last year found that the proportion of children aged 11 to 17 using e-cigarettes rose from 4% in 2020 to 7% in 2022.

In 2013, only 3% of children aged 11 to 15 had ever tried e-cigarettes, but this figure rose to 8% in 2020 and 10% in 2022.

Recent data shows that e-cigarette sensors installed in schools are triggered up to 22 times a day.

Health officials have highlighted the alarming marketing strategies of e-cigarette retailers, claiming that their bright colors and cartoon imagery appeal to children.