In this article...
- Sensible Taxation Policies
- Preserve Flavour Options
- Focus on Enforcement, Not Over-Regulation
- Combat Misinformation and Stigma
As the UK's 4th July election day has been approaching, politicians and local MPs have been out and about, seeking your votes, making the general election a major talking point. Fortunately vaping seems to have avoided becoming too much of a "political football" over the recent period. However, Rishi Sunak and his team seemed very intent on getting tough on vaping as well as smoking over the earlier part of this year.
With this in mind, we thought it would be a good time to share our vision for what a proposed “Vaping Manifesto” might look like.
The world of vaping is a highly contentious subject, with strong opinions on both sides of the table. For those of us who have made the switch from smoking to vaping, it’s important to set up a clear and fair set of guidelines – a Vaping Manifesto – that proposes policies to support and encourage this healthier alternative.
Our manifesto aims to address key issues that affect the vaping community, ensuring that policies are both practical and beneficial.
Here’s what we think a Vaping Manifesto should look like.
1. Sensible Taxation Policies
In March this year the Government set out to introduce tax on vape products from October 2026. The tax will be based on e-liquid volume, and it is proposed that higher nicotine strength e-liquids will get higher taxes. This is unbelievably senseless, as it will mean that smokers wanting to quit using vapes will have the most punishing tax regime, as they will need higher nicotine strengths. It will mean that some 10ml e-liquid bottles will be pushed up to a price of approaching £9. Quitters will be tempted to try lower nicotine strength to save a bit of money, and that causes issues.
Taxation on nicotine vapes should be handled carefully. If the main goal of vaping is to help people quit smoking, then high taxes can discourage smokers from making the switch. If taxes are necessary, they should be set up so they don't unfairly affect those trying to quit smoking. Importantly, if people trying to quit choose low nicotine strength to save money, their chances of quitting will go down. If they do manage to quit, their chances of relapse to smoking go up considerably.
Fair taxation is essential because it can encourage more smokers to transition to vaping, which can significantly improve public health. High taxes on vaping products might push people back to smoking traditional cigarettes, undoing the health benefits of switching. Instead, a balanced tax policy can make vaping more accessible and attractive for those looking to quit smoking.
Reasonable taxes can also keep vaping products affordable for everyone, especially those with lower incomes who might be most in need of a healthier alternative. By carefully structuring the taxes, we can support smokers in their journey to quit while also funding public health programs without creating unnecessary financial burdens.
Taxing vaping devices, and reducing any tax on e-liquids, could have some great environmental benefits. A flat tax of £2 on vape devices would mean that cheaper disposable and pod products would become less attractive. Buying a long-lasting vape kit like the Totally Wicked Tornado GTL would only mean a tax payment of £2 for 6 months to a year. But in the same period, someone using a new disposable vape every day would be contributing £300 – £600 in tax revenues. That might go some way to clearing up the litter and waste that disposable vapes are creating.
A thoughtful approach to taxing nicotine vapes can reduce smoking rates and promote a healthier society. Fair and reasonable taxes will help more people make the positive change from smoking to vaping.
2. Preserve Flavour Options
The Government introduced the Tobacco and Vapes Bill to Parliament on March 20th this year. The Bill proposed increasing the age at which people can be sold cigarettes. However, hidden within the detail, like some sort of Trojan horse, was a host of far-reaching powers that the Government wanted to give itself. The most horrific of these is that they wanted the power to regulate e-liquid flavours in any way they saw fit, and without any statutory requirement that they consult anyone before they did it.
Flavours play a big role in the vaping experience. They make vaping enjoyable and help people stick with it as an alternative to smoking. We believe it’s really important to keep a wide variety of flavours available.
If we restrict flavours, it might push people back to smoking or towards unregulated, potentially unsafe products. The appeal of diverse flavours is a significant factor in the decision to switch from smoking to vaping. Without these options, vaping might lose its appeal, leading some individuals to go back to smoking. Additionally, restrictions on flavours could drive consumers to seek out unregulated products from the black market, which poses serious health risks due to lack of quality control and safety standards.
Moreover, flavours can play a psychological role in distancing former smokers from the habit. By enjoying flavours that are vastly different from the taste of tobacco, former smokers can create new, positive associations with vaping, making it easier to break free from the addiction to cigarettes.
3. Focus on Enforcement, Not Over-Regulation
The issue of underage vaping is concerning. In our recent customer survey, 7 out of 10 respondents felt not enough was being done to tackle it. However, the solution lies in better enforcement of existing laws, not in making products less appealing or accessible to all users. We advocate strict age verification processes, and to ensure existing penalties are actually enforced for those who sell vapes to minors.
By focusing on robust enforcement, we can protect young people without unfairly penalizing adult vapers. Ensuring that retailers strictly follow age verification protocols is crucial. Implementing more rigorous checks at the point of sale, both in physical stores and online, can significantly reduce the likelihood of minors accessing these products. Heavier penalties for those who break these rules will also deter sales to underage customers.
Instead of limiting product features or flavour options that appeal to adults, we should concentrate on measures that effectively prevent minors from purchasing these products in the first place. This targets the root of the problem without affecting the experience and benefits for adult vapers who rely on these products to stay off traditional cigarettes.
Educational campaigns aimed at young people and parents about the risks of underage vaping can complement enforcement efforts, but they need to be truthful. Raising awareness and providing accurate information can further discourage minors from seeking out vaping products, but it must never be at the expense of pretending that vaping is anything like as harmful as smoking, because it isn't.
This balanced approach is key to effectively managing the issue without unintended negative consequences for responsible adult users. Even more important are the young people that have been confused into thinking smoking is no more harmful than vaping by misguided "educational" campaigns.
4. Combat Misinformation and Stigma
The media often portray vaping negatively, fuelled by misleading news and scare stories.
This misinformation isn't just frustrating, it can deter people from considering vaping as a healthier alternative to smoking. Alarmingly, in June 2023, one study revealed that 57% of respondents believed that vaping was equally or more harmful than smoking, while only 27% thought e-cigarettes were less harmful.
It’s crucial to combat misinformation and present a balanced view of vaping. Education and accurate information can help change public perception and reduce the stigma. By highlighting vaping’s benefits as a tool to quit smoking and providing clear, evidence-based facts, we can challenge common misconceptions that have taken root.
Accurate reporting and responsible journalism are key. Media outlets should aim to fairly represent vaping, acknowledging both its potential risks and its role in helping smokers quit. This balanced approach helps the public make informed decisions instead of being influenced by sensational headlines.
Consequently, media outlets, journalists, and social media platforms should be held to account when they publish misinformed and unbalanced information about vaping and smoking. Currently their "kick vaping" stance means that many people that could have switched continue to smoke. This leaves them with highly increased risk of disease and death, and shortens their lives significantly. There should be significant penalties for promoting misinformation that is harmful to public health.
Public health campaigns can also play an important role in spreading truthful information about vaping. These campaigns should educate the public on vaping’s relative safety compared to smoking, its effectiveness in helping people quit, and the importance of using regulated products. The CAP and ASA should be required to lift the restrictions they currently impose on the promotion of vaping as healthier than smoking. Legislation should be looked at again so they can roll back from the "mission creep" that has allowed them to become ever tougher on attempts to promote the concept of vaping, rather than on specific brand promotion.
By addressing misinformation, we can create a more informed and supportive environment for vapers. This benefits current vapers and encourages smokers to consider vaping as a viable option for quitting.
5. Pragmatic Product Regulations
Current regulations on tank and pod capacities and nicotine strengths are often impractical and hard to enforce. In the UK, vape tanks and pods are limited to a maximum capacity of 2ml, and e-liquids can contain no more than 20mg/ml of nicotine. Additionally, nicotine-containing e-liquids must be sold in bottles of 10ml or less. However, we see many illegal and unregulated products regularly flouting these rules.
As consumers look for better value and longer-lasting vaping products to reduce how often they need to buy or refill vapes, they might turn to the black market if safe, regulated options aren’t available.
Instead of keeping unenforceable rules, the Government should adopt more practical regulations. Allowing longer-lasting vapes to be sold in trustworthy vape shops, rather than forcing consumers to seek out illegal and unregulated alternatives, will ensure safety and satisfaction for all vapers. All that's really needed is to increase the allowable tank and pod capacity to 4ml, and nicotine strength to 28mg/ml. Getting 20ml e-liquid bottles would be nice too. But even those small changes would make the legitimate market's products as attractive as the black market's.
Pragmatic regulations can help create a safer and more reliable market for vaping products. By allowing higher-capacity tanks and pods to be sold through regulated channels, we can reduce the demand for black-market products that often bypass safety standards.
It’s essential to focus on rules that prioritize user safety and product reliability. This approach benefits not only consumers but also reputable vape shops and manufacturers who adhere to high standards. Clear, enforceable regulations can help build trust in the industry and ensure that users have access to high-quality products at all times.
Promoting Healthier Choices with Sensible Policies
In summary, our thoughtful Vaping Manifesto advocates your right to choose healthier alternatives. It sets the stage for balanced regulations that protect public health and support those who have made the switch from smoking to vaping, as well as those that will do so in future.
This manifesto is more than just policy ideas; it’s a statement of our right to make healthier choices without undue interference. It highlights the need for sensible policies that protect consumers and promote public health. By focusing on key issues like fair taxation and preserving flavour options, Government policy should support vaping as a healthier alternative to smoking.
