In a decisive move to tackle the UK's booming black market for vaping devices, Chancellor Rachel Reeves will use next week's Budget to announce a sweeping new regulatory regime. The centrepiece of this crackdown will be the introduction of compulsory digital stamps for all vapes sold in the country, designed to make it easy for consumers and authorities to distinguish legitimate products from dangerous counterfeits.
A New Licensing and Enforcement Regime
The government's strategy is multi-pronged, targeting the entire supply chain of illegal vapes. From October next year, all traders will require a licence to sell vapes, bringing the industry under much tighter control. Furthermore, vape shops will face rigorous checks, including right-to-work verification for their staff, in a bid to stamp out tax evasion and worker exploitation that has proliferated alongside the thousands of new shops on UK high streets.
Enforcement powers will be significantly bolstered. Chancellor Reeves will warn that rogue traders caught dealing in illegal vapes could face on-the-spot fines of £10,000 and potential prison sentences. Border Force and HMRC officials will be granted greater powers to seize illicit products, including at the border, disrupting the supply at its source.
The Digital Stamp: A High-Tech Solution
The most significant technological change will be the mandatory digital stamp featuring a QR code on every vape sold in the UK. This cutting-edge measure is intended to prove that a device complies with all safety and sales regulations. The system should empower consumers, allowing them to instantly verify the authenticity of their purchase and spot a fake.
Legitimate businesses will be able to register for the scheme from next April, with a six-month window granted to sell through old stock. This new system follows the government's recent ban on the sale of single-use e-cigarettes, a move that critics argue has simply driven the industry underground. A poll by one industry group found that 80% of retailers believed the ban would push consumers towards the black market.
Industry and Public Health Reaction
The government asserts that these robust new measures will 'disrupt criminal networks behind black market vapes' and protect the public from unregulated and potentially dangerous products. The announcement has been welcomed by public health and trading standards leaders.
Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, supported the plans, stating they would 'help to address youth vaping while keeping products available and affordable for adult smokers who want to use them to quit.' John Herriman, chief executive of the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, said the move would 'make a real difference to something that has been a real scourge of the high street for too long now.'
The context for this crackdown is a staggering level of usage, with an estimated one in ten adults in the UK now believed to vape. The urgency of the situation was highlighted earlier this month when police raids on nearly 3,000 barbers, nail bars, and vape stores nationwide led to hundreds of arrests and the seizure of over 111,000 harmful vapes and 4.5 million illegal cigarettes.
