Tag: vapes

Call for nicotine and vaping products to be hidden out of view in shops

A huge majority of people surveyed in Scotland support proposals to make shops keep all vaping products and nicotine pouches out of sight, according to an opinion poll commissioned by ASH Scotland gathering views about the UK Government’s current consultation aimed at reducing children’s visibility of nicotine products.

86% of 1,061 survey respondents favour measures preventing all vaping products and other nicotine products like heated tobacco and nicotine pouches from being seen in shops, in the same way that cigarettes are already hidden, a finding welcomed by ASH Scotland and the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland (SCOTSS).

Retail displays of brightly coloured and branded packaging are enticing young people to use addictive, health-harming recreational nicotine products, including vapes.

The display ban for tobacco proved highly effective in reducing youth exposure to cigarettes and sets an exemplar for removing vapes and nicotine pouches from window displays and point-of-sale promotions, where they are often displayed alongside confectionery.

The Scottish Government committed to progressing proposals for a Vape Display Ban in its recently announced Programme for Government.

ASH Scotland and the SCOTSS are urging government to move quickly to implement display bans for nicotine and vaping products in Scotland that align with the current approach for cigarettes.

Both organisations contend that the same rules for retailers across all tobacco and related products would assist trading standards teams in enforcing regulations consistently and reduce gaps that could be exploited by the tobacco and nicotine industry.

Sheila Duffy, Chief Executive of ASH Scotland, said: “With 86% of adults polled in Scotland supporting measures to keep addictive health harming vapes and nicotine pouches hidden like tobacco in shops, we want the government to make rapid progress in implementing this proposal, which is both effective and vital, to prevent the tobacco and nicotine industry from continuing to generate massive profits at a cost to the health of young people now and future generations.”

Chris Bell, SCOTSS Chair, said “Vaping displays can be colourful, visually prominent and eye-catching, increasing the visibility and appeal of nicotine products to children, young people and non-smokers.

“SCOTSS considers restricting the prominent retail display of vapes to be an important starting point to reduce visibility and limit opportunities for these products to be promoted.”

ASH Scotland encourages the public to read the charity’s views on the proposed measures in the UK Government’s ‘Tobacco and vapes: packaging, appearance and display’ survey and respond to the consultation before the 23:59 on 2 October 2026 deadline by visiting our webpage here.

Action on vapes

Consultation on packaging, appearance and display of tobacco and vaping products

Views are being sought on proposals aimed at restricting the appearance of tobacco, vaping and nicotine products and how they are packaged and displayed in shops to make them less enticing to children and young people. 

The consultation fulfils a 100-day Scottish Government commitment and builds on government action to reduce preventable deaths from smoking and introduce tougher measures on vaping, including the introduction of a ban on the sale of single-use vapes last year.

Public Health Minister Maree Todd said: “Scotland has been a world-leader on a range of tobacco control measures, and while there has been a steady reduction in smoking rates, we know it still damages lives and kills more than 7,000 people a year in Scotland.

“The use of vapes has increased in recent years, particularly among children and young people – with almost one in five children saying they have tried vaping.

“We know that colourful packaging and displays are used as an enticement to children and young people, which is why we are taking action and consulting on options to address this issue.

“We urge everyone to have their say on how these products are marketed and sold in the future to help protect children and young people and reduce preventable harm in Scotland.”

Chief Medical Officer Gregor Smith said: “This is a vital step to protect public health and support Scotland’s aim of a tobacco-free generation by 2034. Scotland’s ‘Tobacco and Vaping Framework and Population Health Framework’ place a strong emphasis on prevention and reducing the use of health-harming products, including tobacco and nicotine.

“Action on how these products are promoted is central to that aim, and the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 provides a strengthened legislative basis for action. This work will help reduce health harms, address health inequalities, and respond proportionately to emerging risks from vaping.”

Public Health Scotland Consultant in Public Health, Dr Garth Reid said: “Public Health Scotland welcomes the Four Nations consultation on the packaging, appearance and display of tobacco and vaping products.

“We strongly support the ambition to reduce the appeal, accessibility and normalisation of products that cause significant harm to population health.

“The proposals represent a timely and evidence‑informed extension of existing tobacco control measures, and they align with Scotland’s goal of achieving a tobacco‑free generation.”

The consultation will run from 10 July 2026 for 12 weeks.

VPZ partners with Morrisons to launch 10 new stores across the UK 

The tie-up will create up to 40 jobs and ‘make stop smoking services more accessible in communities across the country‘

VPZ, the UK’s leading vaping retailer, is set to open 10 new stores by December 2024 as part of a groundbreaking partnership with the supermarket chain Morrisons, with plans to expand further during 2025.  

The new in-store outlets will expand the brand’s presence in communities throughout the UK, with seven key locations in Leeds Hunslet, Birmingham Stirchley, Glenrothes, Peterhead, Darlington, Stratford and Grantham. 

The collaboration will also introduce a new innovative mobile pod concept for customer parking areas, with two planned for Nottingham and one in Rotheram. 

The partnership will drive positive change by making stop smoking services more accessible in communities throughout the country, whilst educating smokers on the benefits of more sustainable vaping products. 

The new sites will help expand and complement VPZ’s mission to help people on their journey to quit smoking by improving access to expert stop-smoking advice and education. 

VPZ stores offer a dedicated one-to-one service to help smokers quit. VPZ specialists are trained and have expert knowledge, engaging with smokers to educate them on the health and financial benefits of switching to vaping.  

Furthermore, as a part of their shared commitment to environmental responsibility, all new stores will include VPZ’s comprehensive recycling programme. The service is open to all vapers, as anyone can visit the new stores and dispose safely of their vaping devices or e-cigarettes. 

Greig Fowler, Director at VPZ, said: “Our partnership with Morrisons to open 10 new stores is a pivotal step in our mission to transform the health of our nation by empowering more people to become smoke-free. 

“I believe that together we will be making it easier for smokers to access the resources, help and education they need to quit smoking, while also offering a convenient and sustainable shopping experience.” 

He added: “We are looking forward to launching our new in-store locations, pod concepts and exploring further growth in 2025.” 

VPZ has recently voiced concerns that the newly announced vape tax increase will unfairly impact the most vulnerable and set back the UK’s 2030 smoke-free targets. As vaping remains one of the most effective methods to quit smoking, VPZ has warned that higher taxes on vaping products could discourage smokers from switching, undermining both health and financial benefits. 

VPZ also supports plans to ban disposable vapes across the UK and Scotland by June next year, however they have highlighted the rise of ‘Big Puff’ disposable vapes which threaten to bring a new youth vaping epidemic and even greater damage to the environment.  

The imported products are exploiting a loophole in regulations to create a new and larger single-use vaping product ahead of the disposables vape ban.  

Greig Fowler added: “These illegal ‘Big Puffs’ undermine our objectives and are poised to create a public health crisis with unregulated products flooding the marketplace.  

“At the current moment, data shows that more than ever there is a need for the Government to step in to support trading standards and local authorities to keep up with the scale of the ‘Big Puff‘ epidemic.  

“We urge for a better collaboration between the industry and regulatory bodies to address this arising issue promptly and ensure that these vapes do not flood the UK market even further and endanger the quit-smoking progress that has been achieved so far.” 

To date, Edinburgh-based VPZ has already helped over 1 million smokers in the UK quit since it was established in 2012. 

 

England’s smokers urged to swap cigarettes for vapes in world first scheme

Pregnant women will also be offered financial incentives to help them quit as part of a sweeping package of measures to cut smoking rates in England

One million smokers will be encouraged to swap cigarettes for vapes under a pioneering new “swap to stop” scheme designed to improve the health of the nation and cut smoking rates.

As part of the world-first national scheme, almost one in five of all smokers in England will be provided with a vape starter kit alongside behavioural support to help them quit the habit as part of a series of new measures to help the government meet its ambition of being smokefree by 2030 – reducing smoking rates to 5% or less. Local authorities will be invited to take part in the scheme later this year and will design a scheme which suits its needs, including deciding which populations to prioritise.

In a speech today, Health Minister Neil O’Brien will also announce that following the success of local schemes, pregnant women will be offered financial incentives to help them stop smoking. This will involve offering vouchers, alongside behavioural support, to all pregnant women who smoke by the end of next year.

The government will also consult on introducing mandatory cigarette pack inserts with positive messages and information to help people to quit smoking.

Additionally, there will be a crackdown on illicit vape sales as part of measures to stop children and non-smokers take up the habit – which is growing in popularity among young people.

Health Minister Neil O’Brien will say: “Up to two out of three lifelong smokers will die from smoking. Cigarettes are the only product on sale which will kill you if used correctly.

“We will offer a million smokers new help to quit. We will be funding a new national ‘swap to stop’ scheme – the first of its kind in the world. We will work with councils and others to offer a million smokers across England a free vaping starter kit.”

The new policies will deliver the UK Government’s three aims to help more adults quit smoking, stop children and non-smokers from taking up vaping, and using vaping as a tool for established adult smokers to quit.

For those who quit, the risk of heart attack is halved after one year of quitting, ultimately halving the likelihood of ending up in a hospital bed or worse.

Supporting more women to have a smokefree pregnancy will reduce the number of babies born underweight or underdeveloped with health problems requiring neonatal and ongoing care. It will also reduce the risk of miscarriage and stillbirth.

Cutting smoking rates reduces the number of smoking-related illnesses needing to be treated, in turn reducing the pressure on the NHS, helping to deliver on our priority to cut NHS waiting lists.

NHS figures for 2021 showed that 9% of 11- to 15-year-old children used e-cigarettes, up from 6% in 2018.

In recognition of the sharp increase, Minister O’Brien will launch a Call for Evidence on youth vaping to identify opportunities to reduce the number of children accessing and using vape products – and explore where government can go further.

Working with enforcement agencies and learning from the government’s work with Trading Standards on illicit tobacco, £3 million of new funding will also be provided to create a specialised ‘illicit vapes enforcement squad’ to enforce the rules on vaping and tackle illicit vapes and underage sales.

As part of the measures, HMRC and Border Force will also be publishing an updated strategy this year to tackle illicit tobacco. It will lay out strategically how we continue to target, catch and punish those involved in the illicit tobacco market.

Smoking prevalence in England in 2021 was 13% – the lowest on record thanks to measures such as doubling duty on cigarettes since 2010 and continued funding to local stop smoking services

In 2021-22, £68 million of public health grant funded was spent on stop smoking services by local authorities and nearly 100,000 people quit with the support of a stop smoking service.

In addition, £35 million has been committed to the NHS this year so that all smokers admitted to hospital will be offered NHS-funded tobacco treatment services.

However, 5.4 million people in England smoke tobacco which remains the single biggest cause of preventable illness and death. Up to two out of three lifelong smokers will die from smoking and recent data shows one in four deaths from all cancers were estimated to be from smoking.

Last year an independent smoking review led by Javed Khan proposed a range of measures to help people stub out the addiction, which has informed the measures set out today.