The vaping industry: time to step up

You may have recently seen billboard or newspaper adverts calling for better regulation of the vaping industry, to help combat the levels of underage vaping and the sale of illegal vapes.

These are the work of BAT, the biggest vaping manufacturer based in the UK. As a FTSE 10 UK company, our call for the government to regulate the industry more strongly may be seen by some as counterintuitive.

However, a government consultation on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill closes on Wednesday. To remain silent now, as the vaping industry reaches an inflection point, would be to squander this opportunity.

There is widespread consensus that vaping has encouraged millions of smokers to switch. Last year’s influential Cochrane Review of 78 studies, which examined 22,000 participants, found that that nicotine vapes led to higher levels of switching than traditional nicotine replacement therapies, such as patches and chewing gums.

But herein lies the salutary story of unintended consequences. A product that is providing an alternative for adult smokers now needs to be further safeguarded from those who are underage.

Let us be clear: children should not vape.

Yet there is considerable evidence to suggest that some of the ways vapes are being marketed (using dessert, sweet and soft drink flavour names, for example) and sold is helping drive underage experimentation that can lead to the take-up of vaping.  All stakeholders in the industry must step up and play their part in reducing youth access.

And, with policies to shape the industry’s future being discussed in Whitehall, this is a chance to reframe what should be done.

BAT, which invests £300 million a year on research and development (and has a global research hub in Southampton), has taken the unprecedented decision to go public in the UK its proposals in response to the consultation. This transparency comes in a bid to foster debate, bring real change and help the government achieve its ambition of making England smoke-free from 2030.

We believe the future of the vaping industry – and the delivery of a smoke-free future – are entwined and can be achieved by the introduction of more effective regulation that ensures the right balance is struck between promoting harm reduction and protecting the young.

For this reason, while we want flavours clearly aimed at youngsters – such as sweets, desserts and soft drinks – prohibited, we do not want there to be an outright ban on flavours such as fruit, which experts believe contribute to a reduction in smoking rates.

Evidence submitted to the Health and Social Care Committee by public health charity Action on Smoking and Health in July highlighted several studies that reported an association between quitting smoking successfully and using non-tobacco flavoured e-liquids, as opposed to tobacco flavoured or unflavoured e-liquids.

While there needs to be focus on clamping down on manufacturers producing flavours which uniquely appeal to the young, if we are to really tackle the issue of underage vaping, we need a joined-up and comprehensive approach that also recognises the need for a licensing regime for vendors.

Those who sell vapes should be required to hold a retail licence, like that in place for alcohol. And this licence should be revoked if retailers are found to be selling illegal products or to underage customers.

In addition, all retailers should be able to display vapes – but only behind shop counters, rather in shop windows or next to sweets.

And there should be significantly harsher fines for those caught selling vapes to children. Studies suggest fines as low as £26 have been issued to retailers for selling vapes to minors. Penalties of that size are no deterrent.

Finally, products shipped to Britain should be fully tested for compliance with our laws in a recognised laboratory before they are allowed onto shop shelves.

Vaping has a significant role to play in encouraging adult smokers to switch. It is therefore vital that regulations are introduced to address forcefully the actions of irresponsible manufacturers and retailers.

It’s time for vaping to step up.