New laws restricting sale of e-liquids and e-cigarettes will ‘make vaping more expensive’
NEW laws restricting the sales of e-liquids and e-cigarettes will “inevitably” push up the cost of vaping, a trade organisation has warned.
Vaping devices are known for being cheaper than cigarettes and are designed as way to help smokers kick their habit.
New rules set to come in next month mean firms are restricted to selling e-liquids in 10ml bottles.
At the moment, e-liquids usually come in three sizes - 10ml, 20ml and 30ml bottles, although it depends on the supplier.
Vapers will now have to order multiple bottles in order to get their usual hit.
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As well as making bigger orders, vapers may also see an increase in prices as firms pass on the cost of preparing for the new rules.
Richard Hyslop, chief executive of the Independent British Vape Trade Association (IBVTA), told The Sun Online: “Some companies have spent hundreds of thousands of pounds getting products ready and doing the necessary testing needed in advance of these rules being enforced.
“Currently you can go and buy a 30ml bottle of e-liquid and after the 20th May you’ll have to buy three 10ml bottles.
“Companies are doing their best not to pass these costs onto customers, [but] it’s inevitable that some companies will have to put up prices a little.”
WHAT ARE THE NEW VAPING REGULATIONS
THE key changes which come into force from 20 May 2017 include:
- Refillable tanks must have a capacity of no more than 2ml
- E-liquids can not be sold in quantities greater than 10ml
- Unless registered as a medicine e-liquids can not have a nicotine strength of more than 20mg/ml
- E-liquid packaging must be child-resistant and tamper evident
- Additives including colouring, caffeine and taurine are banned
- All e-cigarettes and e-liquids must be registered with the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency before they can be sold
- Stricter labelling requirements
He added that the rises won’t be “significant”, as the majority of companies are doing their best to “absorb these costs internally to the customer doesn’t have to spend more money as a result of these regulations.”
The Independent British Vape Trade Association (IBVTA) represents more than 50 different companies which either supply or sell e-liquids or e-cigarettes.
The new stricter rules for sellers have be introduced as part of a raft of changes hitting the tobacco industry.
They come after an undercover investigation by the The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) found that almost nine in 10 of Britain’s vape shops are willing to sell e-cigarettes to non-smokers – against the industry code of conduct.
Experts have advised that they are less risky than regular smoking but not completely risk-free.
Scientists are still learning about the effects of vaping on the body. Recent studies have earned that the devices not only harm the lungs, but also the heart.
In February, another study warned that vapers may be at a greater risk of life-threatening stroke than smokers.
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