UK Councilors Warn of E-cigarette Threats and Call for Legal Intervention

According to the Bromsgrove Standard, a local media outlet in the UK, during the district council meeting in Bromsgrove on October 25th, Councilor Esther Gray expressed concerns about e-cigarette shops attracting young people to smoke and leading to nicotine addiction. Gray emphasized the need for legislation to prevent the association between candies and e-cigarettes in order to safeguard children from developing addiction.

He believes that young people will not be able to resist smoking e-cigarettes if they are attracted by these brightly colored candy stores on their way to and from school. These stores establish a dangerous link in children's minds by associating e-cigarettes with the lure of candy, leading them to believe that e-cigarettes are harmless. He emphasizes the need for legislation to break the connection between candy and e-cigarettes in order to prevent a generation of children from becoming addicted and suffering health issues as a result.

Trade standard departments nationwide have become aware of the issue of shops selling e-cigarettes to minors, and they frequently conduct research and undercover operations to investigate which shops are complying with regulations.

The China Trademark and Patent Institute (CTPI) recently released data on the Joseph Operation, which involved conducting undercover purchases at e-cigarette retailers, including convenience stores, to crackdown on illegal e-cigarette sales and sales to minors. Out of 1,199 purchase attempts, it was found that 27.3% of the stores sold e-cigarettes to individuals under the age of 18.

Recently, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak unveiled his government's plans to curb smoking and e-cigarette use in the UK, particularly among youths. He is contemplating a complete ban on disposable e-cigarettes and aims to incrementally raise the legal age for purchasing tobacco each year. This would imply that individuals born on or after January 1, 2009, will never reach the legal age to buy cigarettes.

The local government association will also consult the government on various measures to reduce young people's exposure to e-cigarettes, including restricting flavors, preventing them from seeing and accessing other products targeted at children in stores, and regulating packaging and branding.