More than 12,000 people have signed a petition in the UK against flavor restrictions on vapes, prompting the government to respond and commit to further public consultation. The petitioners believe that the ban will undermine the progress of quitting smoking and increase the risks of the black market. The government said it would carefully assess the restrictive measures, emphasizing the need to strike a balance between protecting minors and supporting adults in quitting smoking.
Key points:
- A petition against the proposed flavor restrictions on vapes in the UK’s Tobacco and Vape Act has received more than 12,000 signatures. This has triggered a formal response from the government, which has promised to launch further public consultations in the future.
- The initiator of the petition pointed out that taste restrictions might undermine the progress of quitting smoking and push users to the black market.
- The government’s response emphasized the necessity of protecting children, but also acknowledged the role of taste in adult smoking cessation.
More than 10,000 people in the UK signs a petition against restricting e-cigarette flavors
According to Talking Retail’s report on April 29th, during the review process of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill in the UK, an online petition against flavor restrictions on vapes has received more than 12,000 signatures, prompting the government to respond. And promised to conduct further public consultations on relevant restrictive measures.
According to the current regulations, if a petition receives more than 10,000 signatures, the government must respond. If 100,000 signatures are reached, the parliament must consider whether to hold a debate. The petition will close on September 7th.
The petition was initiated by Greig Fowler, a director of the British vape retailer VPZ. Who argued that the government’s proposed measures to restrict certain sweet vape e-liquids would “Undermine smoking cessation efforts and push users towards dangerous black market products”. As of now, the petition has received more than 12,200 signatures within seven weeks, with a relatively high response rate coming from Labour Party constituencies.
Government undertakes to launch public consultation
In response to the petition, the Ministry of Health and Social Security issued a statement saying,
- “We will hold further consultations before imposing any specific restrictions on the flavors of vapes. To avoid unexpected consequences for the smoking rate, we will carefully consider any restrictive measures.”
The government pointed out in the statement that the Tobacco and vape Act grants it regulatory authority, including possible restrictions on flavor types in the future, with the aim of reducing the appeal of vapes to children.
The statement further pointed out: “Flavors such as’ marshmallows’ or ‘gummy bears’ should not exist. These flavors are not necessary for quitting smoking and are attractive to minors.”
Nevertheless, the government also acknowledges that taste has played a significant role in helping adult smokers switch to vapes.
- “We are well aware that vapes are a tool for adults to quit smoking, and taste is one of the important considerations.”
Therefore, the government stated that after the bill obtained the “Royal Assent”, it would launch further public consultations as soon as possible to collect more opinions and evidence before the actual restrictions were implemented.
Supporters of the petition said that the government underestimated the appeal of the taste to adult users and called on the public to participate in the feedback.
Mark Oates, the founder of the We Vape organization, said that although minors should be prevented from using vapes, the government should not restrict the flavors favored by adults. He believes that the excessive interference of taste bans in personal choices may lead to as many as 36% of adult users returning to smoking or turning to the black market, weakening the public health benefits of vapes as a harm reduction tool.