One in Five Retailers in Scotland Sold Vapes to Minors Under 18

According to a September 1 report by UK media outlet Scottishgrocer, ongoing inspections by trading standards authorities in Scotland found that one in five retailers sold e-cigarettes to teenagers under the age of 18. The inspections also found that one in every eight stores checked sold e-cigarettes to minors.

David Mackenzie, Chair of the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland, said: “Young people’s health is a key priority for trading standards authorities, and smoking poses one of the greatest threats to their health and development, especially for younger children.

“These results are concerning. We will step up our efforts, provide guidance to sellers, and continue taking enforcement action against those who break the law.

“Vaping products may be a useful aid for smokers who want to quit, but they are not lifestyle products intended for young people.

“Bright packaging colors and sweet fruit flavors attract children, and the easy availability of disposable e-cigarettes in particular does far more harm than good.”

Last year, trading standards officers in Scotland carried out test purchases at 312 stores, and 63 of them failed by selling e-cigarettes. Trading standards teams said this was a particularly poor result compared with recent years, due to the lack of enforcement activity over the past two years and the popularity of disposable e-cigarettes.

John Dunne, Director General of the UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA), said: “These figures highlight a problem the industry has been raising for years: rogue retailers are selling e-cigarettes to children, while trading standards lacks sufficient powers to regulate the issue effectively.

“Vaping has been shown to be one of the best ways for smokers to quit, and it is also one of our best opportunities to defeat smoking as a modern epidemic. In the UK alone, smoking still causes around 250 deaths every day.

“Scotland has the highest smoking rate in the UK. While the Scottish government needs to do more to stop rogue retailers from selling e-cigarettes to children, it must also support smokers, because around half of all smokers will die if they do not quit.”

Pete Cheema, Chief Executive of the Scottish Grocers’ Federation, said: “Clearly, more action is needed, and we are willing to work with the Scottish government to improve public awareness and education, an area that has long been neglected.

“We will soon launch our Healthier Choices, Healthier Communities campaign, and its clear message is that if you smoke and want to quit, you should use e-cigarettes.

“This will include calling on manufacturers, retailers, policymakers, and enforcement agencies to take strong measures to significantly reduce the appeal of e-cigarettes to young people.

“For the illegal sale of e-cigarette products, both the Scottish government and trading standards must take action, enforce the rules already in place, and support those who act responsibly.”