The UK government has introduced a new Tobacco and Vapes bill in parliament that places restrictions on the retail packaging of vapes and nicotine products.  

Presented on 20 March 2024, the proposed legislation will grant powers for ministers to restrict the flavours and contents of vaping products and packaging that target children and young people. 

It will also regulate the way vapes are displayed in retail settings and product presentation. 

These new measures include repositioning vaping products in stores to make them less visible to children and away from items such as confectionery that typically attract them. 

Other existing measures such as standardised packaging and display regulations would remain in place. 

Most importantly, the bill bans the sale of tobacco products to individuals born on or after 1 January 2009.  

Further, the sale of non-nicotine vaping products to someone who is under 18 years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will be an offence. 

The bill prohibited the distribution of free vape samples to individuals under 18 years.  

In addition, the government has pledged to ban the sale and supply of disposable vapes by April 2025. 

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “If we want to build a better future for our children we need to tackle the single biggest entirely preventable cause of ill health, disability and death: smoking. 

“That is why, alongside new measures to kerb the alarming rise in youth vaping, we are delivering on our commitment to create a smoke-free generation and stop our kids from getting hooked on harmful cigarettes and other nicotine products. 

“This important change will save thousands of lives and billions of pounds for our NHS, freeing up new resource than can be spent to improve outcomes for patients right across the UK.” 

The bill also seeks to bolster enforcement by introducing on-the-spot fines of £100 ($127) to ensure compliance with the new regulations. 

This complements the existing maximum fine of £2,500 that local authorities can impose for underage sales of tobacco and vaping products.