Opportunity to get Tobacco and Vapes Bill right: UKVIA

The UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) has welcomed the King’s Speech announcement that the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will be back on the legislative agenda, expressing hope that the new administration will allow unfettered debate on the issue.

The trade body noted that the previous government tried to rush this bill through parliament, packed the committee scrutinising it with supportive voices only and refused to allow representatives of the UK’s 5.6 million vapers to be heard.

“We hope that health secretary Wes Streeting will grasp the opportunity this bill presents to improve the health outcomes for millions of smokers by allowing vaping to fulfil its untapped potential to help adult smokers quit,” John Dunne, director general of the UKVIA, said.

“This bill, if implemented with thought and care, could be the springboard to getting the country’s smoke-free ambitions back on track, after inaction from the last government caused it to slip backwards by a decade or more.

“The powers contained in this bill have the potential to cause either enormous good or enormous harm for the health outcomes of the nation and this is why our politicians must act with care to get it right.

“At its worst, it could lead to the ban of all flavoured vapes, the end of retail in-store displays and vape products hidden from view just like deadly cigarettes. This would be the worst possible outcome because restricting vape sales would encourage former smokers to return to cigarettes and open the floodgates for black market dealers to take over the supply chain and target vulnerable young people in the process.

“At best, it will give impetus to help the country’s 6.4 million smokers finally quit cigarettes, prevent millions of unnecessary of deaths and save the NHS hundreds of millions of pounds in treatment costs.”

The UKVIA said it will be seeking to work closely with the government to ensure the nation gets the very best outcomes from the Tobacco and Vapes Bill by giving adult smokers the best opportunity to quit and protect young people from an age-gated product.

“This is why we feel it is vital that industry and consumer voices must be heard when the bill comes back before the parliament,” Dunne added.

The UKVIA has proposed a number of important amendments to the bill:

• The introduction of a vape retail and distributor licensing scheme which would prohibit rogue resellers from trading and provide £50 million funding annually – at no cost to the treasury – to support heightened enforcement by an under-resourced Trading Standards. The scheme will also impose fines of up to £10,000 per instance.
• Give the MHRA new powers to outlaw child-friendly imagery and packaging.
• Introduce statutory requirement for the Secretary of State to consult with any interested stakeholders prior to introducing any new regulations.

Dunne concluded: “In its haste to rush this legislation through, the previous administration failed to consider any of these sensible and proportionate measures which would help smokers quit, protect young people and give much-needed funds to create a fit-for-purpose regulatory and enforcement framework moving forward.

“The UKVIA sincerely hopes that the new government and Wes Streeting as secretary of state for health and social care and his department takes the time to get this right and does not fall into the trap of rushing it through as the Conservatives attempted to do.”