UKVIA Responded to CTSI Concerns on Illicit E-cigarettes

The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) has stated the widespread use of non-compliant e-cigarettes. Although the trading standards officers try to crack down on illegal e-cigarettes and retailers, the supply chain still has a broader problem. The CTSI and trading standards teams need support and clarification from the Department of Health and Social Care. 

On March 12, The UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) responded to CTSI's concerns about illegal e-cigarette sales, which show in the following:

"We also agree wholeheartedly that restrictions need to be explored to address youth vaping without impacting on adult smokers who wish to switch to vaping in order to quit their habits.

That's why we are leading the way in forming a Youth Access Prevention Taskforce to develop detailed proposals to deal with the situation and these include:

• On-the-spot fines of up to £10,000 per instance for retailers who are found to be selling to minors and for selling illicit products,
• A national registration scheme for all retailers meaning only those outlets that meet qualifying criteria can legally sell vapes,
• A national test purchasing scheme which will ensure constant monitoring of retailers' selling vapes to ensure that they are not turning a blind eye to purchases involving minors.

By Trading Standards' own admission, there is a serious lack of resources, and the government needs to step in and deal with the situation urgently. Our proposals are designed to support this need for funding, as money will be raised from fines and registration schemes. We will set out our recommendations to the government and MPS at the end of March." 

UKVIA will present our proposals to the government and parliamentarians at the end of March.

Reference: 

UKVIA response to CTSI concerns on illicit vape sales

The Chartered Trading Standards Institute has issued a statement on non-compliance with e-cigarettes