A major change to the sale of vapes and nicotine products takes effect across the UK today, banning the sale of nicotine-free vapes and addictive products such as nicotine pouches to children. Rogue traders could face a £200 fine under the government crackdown.
The new measures, which came into force on Thursday, October 29, follow the disposable vape ban introduced last year. They come after more than a million children are believed to have tried vaping, with more than 370,000 vaping regularly. Health officials warn this puts them at a higher risk of developing respiratory illnesses.
Chief Medical Officer condemns marketing to children
Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty said encouraging children to vape or addicting them to nicotine was "completely unacceptable".
"These measures will help protect children from marketing of nicotine products and attempts to encourage them to vape," he added.
The sale of nicotine vapes to under-18s was already illegal, but now products such as nicotine-free vapes and nicotine pouches, strips and pearls will become illegal. Adults aged 18 or over will also commit an offence if they buy, or attempt to buy, a vaping or nicotine product on behalf of someone under 18. Promotional giveaways of such products and substantial promotional discounts in shops and online will also be banned.
Enforcement and industry response
Trading Standards will enforce these measures in England, with rogue retailers at risk of a £200 penalty fee.
Dame Diana Johnson, Minister of State for Public Health and Patient Safety, said: "Our landmark Tobacco and Vapes Act was the greatest piece of public health legislation in a generation.
"Six months to the day since the Act became law, we're extending protections for young people and stopping businesses from cashing in on our children's health."
While evidence suggests vaping is less harmful than smoking and can help adult smokers quit, officials warn it is not risk-free.
Long-term health concerns
Prof Whitty said: "Nicotine, of any form, is highly addictive. Those promoting it to children aim to take away their choice through that addiction. This can create a lifelong, usually eventually unwilling, customer.
"Most people addicted to nicotine wish they had never started, but find it very hard to stop."
He added: "Some children have already come to harm from bad reactions to vapes. The long-term health harms of vaping in today's children will only become clear over time. They are however unlikely to be good; inhaling multiple, often heated, chemicals into the lungs may well do irreversible harm."
The new measures are part of the Tobacco and Vapes Act, which became law on April 29 this year. From January 1, 2027, it will be illegal to sell tobacco products such as cigarettes to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009, meaning anyone born after this date will never be legally sold tobacco.
Experts at the charity Asthma + Lung UK have praised the move as an "important step forward" towards protecting lung health.
Andrew McCracken, Director of External Affairs at the charity, said: "Today's restrictions tighten the net on vape manufacturers who for too long have profited from harming kids' lungs.
"Children are especially vulnerable to the dangerous effects of vaping as their lungs are still developing. Yet, vape manufacturers have spent years designing products that look and taste like sweets, and too many young people are growing up addicted to nicotine.
"These restrictions are an important step towards protecting the lung health of the next generation, but they are not the final step. Next we need to look at further restricting vape product packaging, flavours and displays."
