Staffordshire officials say e-cigarettes targeting minors are causing concern

Staffordshire community leaders and trade standards officials express concern that the enticing dessert flavors and bright colors used in e-cigarette marketing may target children. They are also worried about e-cigarette shops operating near schools and colleges - the number of children using e-cigarettes has tripled in the past three years, as reported to the council members.

It is illegal to sell e-cigarettes to those under 18. However, several shops across the country have been found to engage in underage sales - Staffordshire's trade standards department has conducted dozens of "test purchases" as part of efforts to combat this behavior, and the safety overview and scrutiny committee of Staffordshire County Council heard this news at its latest meeting.

County regulatory services and community safety commissioner Trish Caldwell stated: "Currently, illegal e-cigarettes are very common, and the issue of illegal e-cigarettes is growing. We face issues of non-compliance and sales to children. E-cigarettes are much safer than smoking because they do not contain tobacco, and can serve as an effective tool to help people quit smoking. It is important to be able to use e-cigarettes to help reduce smoking."

"However, the number of children using e-cigarettes has tripled in the past three years, with 20% of children trying e-cigarettes in 2023. This poses significant risks to children due to the nicotine content and unknown long-term harms, along with the addictive elements."

"Health advice is clear - young people and non-smokers should not use e-cigarettes. Encouraging children to use products designed for adult smoking cessation is unacceptable."

"We often see e-cigarette products that are clearly aimed at attracting children promoted through flavors, descriptions, and in-store marketing, despite the risks of nicotine addiction. There are fruit and dessert flavors, and appealing wording, so you will see things like 'Berry Blast' - these are associated with children's candies."

During the 2022-23 period, the national trade standards department identified that 27% of purchases in 1000 test purchases targeting underage sales were illegal, as reported to the council members. In Staffordshire, 76 test purchases were conducted, with 9% resulting in sales to children.

Ms. Caldwell stated that illegal e-cigarettes are also an increasing concern nationwide, with the England trade standards department seizing 2.1 million illegal e-cigarettes in the 2022/23 fiscal year. She added: "These e-cigarettes, we know because we have tested them, contain unknown ingredients, have nicotine levels higher than they should, and target children."

"In Staffordshire, we have seized 115,000 illegal e-cigarettes so far this year. Many of the e-cigarettes we have seized do not comply with legal regulations; their tanks are larger than allowed and contain far more smoking volume than the standard."

Chairing the meeting, Councillor Bob Spencer asked: "Are we maximizing our enforcement powers and capabilities? I think most of us agree that we need to take people to court, not just advise and inform - these people know what they are doing."

Councillor Jeanette Eagland expressed: "I am very concerned about e-cigarettes because a few months ago someone mentioned to me how natural it is for kids to use these e-cigarette systems. They also share them with each other."

"Why can't we have the same restrictions as tobacco? We took a long time to restrict the rules on selling tobacco to everyone, whether children or adults, and we will have to go down this path with e-cigarettes because their usage rate is rising."

Councillor Johnny McMahon stated: "Children and e-cigarettes are a very serious issue. Do parents, caregivers, and schools have direct ways to inform you about the extent of e-cigarettes so that you can focus on specific areas?"

Ms. Caldwell replied: "We have a hotline where people can report such issues, and we have received quite a bit of intelligence through this method. For example, a shop that is clearly selling e-cigarettes to children after school - we have received reports submitted through this hotline, and we can take action from a trade standards perspective and follow up."

"Rest assured, when we find businesses that are breaking the law, we will take action and prosecute. In the future, when there is a licensing system, the licenses of shops can be revoked, and we will have another tool to reference, and HMRC will be able to take enforcement action, not just prosecute existing shop owners."

"There are many shops we can prosecute and take legal action against. Then the same thing happens again, but you will find different shop owners."

"For places with ongoing violations, we are exploring closure orders rather than targeting individual shop owners. There are broader issues in the current system related to court delays - we have to wait for court cases to be resolved, which are often postponed and rescheduled multiple times."#p#分页标题#e#