Parliament Petition: Don’t ban flavoured e-liquids for e-cigarettes

[zouzounaki]

In the description below the title, yes. But like I said, the disposable ban is pretty much a given anyway.

But the description is sloppy anyway, e.g. "We think this could risk a pandemic of underage smokers getting their products from the black market."
But "underage smokers" shouldn't be smoking or vaping anyway, they shouldn't be sourcing product from either shops or black market, so who gives a shit about them?
For all we know, the government may prefer they get their stuff from the black market...

it is a bit of a mess, aye. but i think “we can get behind the disposable ban” itself could put a lot of vendors off. i could be wrong, maybe they are just apathetic about it all.

 

[Mitz]

Think we've all agreed that the wording of the petition is far from great. Exposure amongst vapers in the wild is an issue and I imagine even amongst those who are aware, there are many who will reflect the feelings of members here that the petition is pointless and will have no impact. Many reasons for such a low sig count. Imagine lack of awareness still being the main reason tho.

On the upside, I see this petition as a dry run for the consultation. 40k is still a pathetic number within the grand scheme but at least they're all saying don't ban flavours which is better thatln the 27k from the first consultation with a healthy chunk calling for bans and restrictions.

 

[Toby iVapour]

Edit: wrong thread

 

[vapesmarter]

Think we've all agreed that the wording of the petition is far from great. Exposure amongst vapers in the wild is an issue and I imagine even amongst those who are aware, there are many who will reflect the feelings of members here that the petition is pointless and will have no impact. Many reasons for such a low sig count. Imagine lack of awareness still being the main reason tho.

On the upside, I see this petition as a dry run for the consultation. 40k is still a pathetic number within the grand scheme but at least they're all saying don't ban flavours which is better thatln the 27k from the first consultation with a healthy chunk calling for bans and restrictions.

we had the original consultation and no one bothered to fill it in i would say the only ones who did were the majority of the members on here perhaps if they did...well

 

[Mitz]

we had the original consultation and no one bothered to fill it in i would say the only ones who did were the majority of the members on here perhaps if they did...well

Again, I think that's down to awareness. Outside of this forum I didn't hear a single word about it and nobody I know knew anything about it until I brought it up.

 

[Toby iVapour]

Outside of this forum I didn't hear a single word about it and nobody I know knew anything about it until I brought it up.

We still get (and will continue to do so) -
"Oh, I know they were gonna ban disposables, but had no idea about flavours..."

 

[hack400]

Government response - TLDR blah blah blah, we'll do what we want.

Government responded​

This response was given on 12 March 2024

To address the rise in youth vaping, vape flavours that appeal to children will be restricted. We will consult further, being mindful of the role flavours can play in supporting adult smokers quit.

Read the response in full
The health advice is clear – if you don’t smoke, don’t vape and children should never vape.
There has been an alarming rise in youth vaping in recent years. The number of children vaping has tripled in the last 3 years and 1 in 5 children have used a vape. Given the potential health risks of nicotine, it is important that we protect our children from underage vaping, while their lungs and brains are still developing.

Evidence shows that vapes appeal to children and are too easily accessible and affordable. For example, a frequently used vape flavouring for children is ‘fruit flavour’ with 60% of current children using them. 17% of children who vape choose sweet flavours such as chocolate or candy and 4.8% choose to vape energy or soft drink flavours. Research has also been carried out that shows flavours are an important factor in motivating young people to start vaping (Flavors increase adolescents' willingness to try nicotine and cannabis vape products - PubMed (nih.gov) - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36963159/.

In the Government’s recent Call for Evidence on youth vaping (2023) our analysis found that 66% of respondents stated that sweet or fruity flavours was the main appeal of vape flavours to children. Flavours can also often entice children to try vaping through how they are described, for example 'fiery flavoured strawberry' and 'berry blast', sweet flavours that children may be familiar with. Reducing the range of vape flavours, therefore, and specifically restricting those flavours that most appeal to children, has the potential to significantly reduce the number of children who are vaping.

However, we also recognise the importance of vape flavours to adult smokers that are looking to quit smoking. Research on e-cigarette support for smoking cessation by London South Bank University has found that there is evidence that flavoured vaping products can also help adults quit smoking. The use of flavoured vapes in smokers has also increased as shown by Action on Smoking and Health (Use of e-cigarettes among adults in Great Britain - ASH https://ash.org.uk/resources/view/use-of-e-cigarettes-among-adults-in-great-britain-2021). In 2015, most adults who vaped used tobacco flavour. However, in recent years there has been a shift, and in 2023 more adults are choosing fruit flavours (47%), as well as mint and menthol (17%), and tobacco (12%).

The Government is, therefore, legislating to take powers to restrict the range of vape flavours and how they are described in the future. This will sit alongside a range of measures to reduce illicit underage vaping, including restricting vape packaging and where vapes can be displayed within a shop. The collective aim of these measures is to reduce the appeal and accessibility of vapes to children, whilst ensuring that vapes remain an option for adult smokers looking to quit.

Future restrictions on vape flavours will be subject to further analysis and consultation before any regulations are laid in Parliament for debate. To avoid unintended consequences on smoking rates, the scope of these restrictions will be carefully considered and weighed against evidence.

In terms of a potential risk to the illicit market, history shows that when we have introduced targeted tobacco control measures, whether through tighter legal controls or stronger enforcement, they have had a positive impact on tackling the problems of illicit tobacco. For example, when the age of sale for smoking was increased from 16 to 18 in 2007, this created 1.3 million more people who were no longer able to be sold cigarettes, and in theory would be in the market for illegal cigarettes. However, in practice, the number of illicit cigarettes consumed fell by 25% from 10 billion in 2005/06 to 7.5 billion in 2007/08.

In April 2023, the government announced £3 million of investment to enhance work on illicit vapes enforcement, led by National Trading Standards, building on existing work by trading standards officers across the country.

The government committed to increasing investment for our enforcement agencies by £30 million per year. This additional funding in England will boost agencies such as local trading standards to enforce the new age of sale and vaping measures. It will also scale up HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and Border Force activity to stamp out opportunities for criminals in the illicit tobacco trade.

Of this funding, £100 million over 5 years will support HMRC and Border Force’s new Illicit Tobacco Strategy.

We would encourage petitioners and others to respond to this future consultation once it is published.
Department of Health and Social Care

 

[MrDJ]

So let me get this right, the government have addmitted the great work they are doing and that only 7.5 billion illicit cigs were consumed back in 2007/2008 (data from 16 fookin years ago).

For example, when the age of sale for smoking was increased from 16 to 18 in 2007, this created 1.3 million more people who were no longer able to be sold cigarettes, and in theory would be in the market for illegal cigarettes. However, in practice, the number of illicit cigarettes consumed fell by 25% from 10 billion in 2005/06 to 7.5 billion in 2007/08.

so more upto date
june 2021 15 million seized worth £7.24 million
march 2022 13 million worth £7 million seized
october 2022 99 million seized worth £44 million

illegal cigarette seizure at DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo. Privacy, Simplified.

duckduckgo.com

random first 3 links of 3 cig seizures so in the last 3 years i wonder how many fake/illegal cigs and vapes got through.

 

[dansus]

Government response - TLDR blah blah blah, we'll do what we want.

In large text so i can read it.

This response was given on 12 March 2024

To address the rise in youth vaping, vape flavours that appeal to children will be restricted. We will consult further, being mindful of the role flavours can play in supporting adult smokers quit.

Read the response in full

The health advice is clear – if you don’t smoke, don’t vape and children should never vape.
There has been an alarming rise in youth vaping in recent years. The number of children vaping has tripled in the last 3 years and 1 in 5 children have used a vape. Given the potential health risks of nicotine, it is important that we protect our children from underage vaping, while their lungs and brains are still developing.
Evidence shows that vapes appeal to children and are too easily accessible and affordable. For example, a frequently used vape flavouring for children is ‘fruit flavour’ with 60% of current children using them. 17% of children who vape choose sweet flavours such as chocolate or candy and 4.8% choose to vape energy or soft drink flavours. Research has also been carried out that shows flavours are an important factor in motivating young people to start vaping (Flavors increase adolescents' willingness to try nicotine and cannabis vape products - PubMed (nih.gov) - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36963159/.

In the Government’s recent Call for Evidence on youth vaping (2023) our analysis found that 66% of respondents stated that sweet or fruity flavours was the main appeal of vape flavours to children. Flavours can also often entice children to try vaping through how they are described, for example 'fiery flavoured strawberry' and 'berry blast', sweet flavours that children may be familiar with. Reducing the range of vape flavours, therefore, and specifically restricting those flavours that most appeal to children, has the potential to significantly reduce the number of children who are vaping.

However, we also recognise the importance of vape flavours to adult smokers that are looking to quit smoking. Research on e-cigarette support for smoking cessation by London South Bank University has found that there is evidence that flavoured vaping products can also help adults quit smoking. The use of flavoured vapes in smokers has also increased as shown by Action on Smoking and Health (Use of e-cigarettes among adults in Great Britain - ASH https://ash.org.uk/resources/view/use-of-e-cigarettes-among-adults-in-great-britain-2021. In 2015, most adults who vaped used tobacco flavour. However, in recent years there has been a shift, and in 2023 more adults are choosing fruit flavours (47%), as well as mint and menthol (17%), and tobacco (12%).

The Government is, therefore, legislating to take powers to restrict the range of vape flavours and how they are described in the future. This will sit alongside a range of measures to reduce illicit underage vaping, including restricting vape packaging and where vapes can be displayed within a shop. The collective aim of these measures is to reduce the appeal and accessibility of vapes to children, whilst ensuring that vapes remain an option for adult smokers looking to quit.

Future restrictions on vape flavours will be subject to further analysis and consultation before any regulations are laid in Parliament for debate. To avoid unintended consequences on smoking rates, the scope of these restrictions will be carefully considered and weighed against evidence.

In terms of a potential risk to the illicit market, history shows that when we have introduced targeted tobacco control measures, whether through tighter legal controls or stronger enforcement, they have had a positive impact on tackling the problems of illicit tobacco. For example, when the age of sale for smoking was increased from 16 to 18 in 2007, this created 1.3 million more people who were no longer able to be sold cigarettes, and in theory would be in the market for illegal cigarettes. However, in practice, the number of illicit cigarettes consumed fell by 25% from 10 billion in 2005/06 to 7.5 billion in 2007/08.

In April 2023, the government announced £3 million of investment to enhance work on illicit vapes enforcement, led by National Trading Standards, building on existing work by trading standards officers across the country.

The government committed to increasing investment for our enforcement agencies by £30 million per year. This additional funding in England will boost agencies such as local trading standards to enforce the new age of sale and vaping measures. It will also scale up HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and Border Force activity to stamp out opportunities for criminals in the illicit tobacco trade.

Department of Health and Social Care

 

[Toby iVapour]

Government response - TLDR blah blah blah, we'll do what we want.

.. response was given on 12 March 2024

Do you have a link for this response please?

I'm not exactly sure what it is a response to...