Underage Sales of Vapes
Many of our clients’ businesses (both shops and pubs) are now retailing Vapes. The Responsible Authorities are becoming more and more concerned about the selling of illegal vapes or vapes to children. Indeed, in a survey by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, 60 per cent of local trading standards services said high street shops selling illicit vapes or vaping products to children was the enforcement issue that most concerned them. Teams reported a significant rise in underage vape sales last year. Recent action taken against the issue includes:-
Councils in London launching undercover operations to prosecute shops selling e-cigarettes to children. Barking and Dagenham Council is investigating three shops after its trading standards team sent teenagers aged 13 and 14 into businesses to buy vaping products.
A campaign in Bracknell, Wokingham and West Berkshire aims to stop young people using vapes with visits to schools to discuss the potential dangers of vaping, and shops and supermarkets to check for underage sales and illegal vaping products.
Suffolk Trading Standards this month caught three shops in Ipswich and Felixstowe selling vaping fluid to underage customers.
Shropshire Council has raised concerns about vaping in children increasing and is carrying out test purchase operations, which has led to the seizure of 1,044 illegal vape products and three sales of vapes to children.
Shops in Taunton and Mansfield have also been recently closed after selling vaping products to children.
Norfolk Trading Standards officers have reported a worrying increase in reports of shops selling e-cigarettes to children.
Police and council officers in Southend seized over 1,200 illegal vape pens allegedly being sold to children
This level of scrutiny and enforcement is therefore right across the UK, so make sure that the Vapes you are selling are legal AND that you are employing Challenge 25 rigorously at point of sale.