Wales Plans to Strengthen Vaping Regulations, Including Limits on Packaging and Sales Methods

  The Public Health Department of Wales plans to strengthen vaping regulations, including limits on packaging and a ban on the sale of disposable e-cigarettes, as well as prohibiting retailers from displaying e-cigarettes.

According to a report by walesonline on November 6, the Public Health Department of Wales plans to enhance the regulatory framework for e-cigarettes.

These new restrictions may include limits on e-cigarette packaging, a ban on the sale of disposable e-cigarettes, and a prohibition on retailers displaying e-cigarettes in stores. The health agency also stated its strong support for raising the legal age limit for the sale of tobacco products.

Public Health Wales stated that these actions are primarily aimed at addressing the significant increase in vaping among children and young people, and pointed out the environmental hazards posed by disposable e-cigarettes. The agency noted that while e-cigarettes can help adult smokers quit, they also pose a smoking inducement risk to those who have never smoked, which is a major concern.

Reports indicate that Wales has been in discussions with the central government earlier this year about plans to ban the sale of disposable e-cigarettes, and the UK government is currently conducting a public consultation on further measures to reduce e-cigarette use.

The main focus of Public Health Wales is on children and young people. The agency believes that restricting the sales methods of e-cigarette products will help address the issue of youth addiction to vaping.

Dr. Julie Bishop, Director of Health Improvement at Public Health Wales, stated that the agency supports taking strong action to raise the legal age limit for tobacco sales in the UK and also supports new regulations on the sales and marketing methods of e-cigarettes to align them with tobacco products.

“We welcome the UK government's specific inquiry into e-cigarette packaging and display in the public consultation, and we firmly believe that these products should be sold in standardized packaging and plain colors, without any branding, just like current tobacco products.”

“E-cigarettes should also be stored behind the counter and not displayed to the public, just like tobacco products. These measures have proven to be very effective in preventing children and young people from smoking.”

According to Public Health Wales, smoking remains a leading cause of premature death, preventable diseases, and health inequalities. In 2018, over 5,000 people in Wales died from smoking-related causes, with nearly one in twenty hospitalized patients over the age of 35 being related to smoking.

In response to the public consultation, Public Health Wales also advocated for regulating flavors in e-cigarettes. This includes restrictions on the names of e-cigarette products and proposing a statutory list of descriptive flavors while banning those that are particularly appealing to young people.

The UK government launched a public consultation titled “Creating a Smoke-Free Generation and Addressing Youth Vaping Issues” on October 12, 2024. The government subsequently outlined its legislative goals in the King’s Speech on November 7, including:

Plans to prohibit the sale of any form of tobacco products to anyone born after January 1, 2009.

Implementing measures that may include regulating e-cigarette products, packaging, and point-of-sale displays to address the increase in youth vaping.

The UK government's public consultation ended on December 6, and Public Health Wales submitted its response in both Welsh and English.