A new set of laws prohibiting the sale of vaping and nicotine products to underage persons, as part of the Tobacco and Vapes Act, comes into force from October 29.
It will be an offence for retailers, including online sellers, to sell any vaping product or nicotine product to anyone under the age of 18.
Before making a sale, retailers must be satisfied that the customer is aged 18 or over.
Any violation is a criminal offence and may result in action, including a fine of £200 in England, Wales and Scotland.
In Northern Ireland, subject to approval by the Northern Ireland Assembly, a person can receive a fine of £250 for committing this offence.
Persistent offenders will receive a restricted sale order or a restricted premises order.
Proxy purchasing
It will also be an offence for anyone aged 18 or over to buy, or attempt to buy, vaping or nicotine products on behalf of a person under the age of 18.
All retail staff should be alert to prevent proxy purchasing, and refuse the sale if they suspect any such attempt.
If a person commits proxy purchasing, he or she may be fined £200 in England, Wales and Scotland.
In Northern Ireland, subject to approval by the Northern Ireland Assembly, a person may be fined £250 for the same offence.
Sales promotion
It will be an offence to promote the sale of vapes in the following ways:- Give away a vaping or nicotine product for free where the purpose or effect is to promote the product.
- Sell a vaping or nicotine product at a substantial discount where the purpose or effect is to promote the product.
- Give a coupon or sell a coupon at a substantial discount for a vaping or nicotine product where the purpose or effect is to promote the product.
The vaping products to be restricted include vape devices, substances to be vaped, and any related components such as coils and vape pods.
The nicotine products include nicotine pouches, nicotine strips and nicotine pearls.
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the new laws replace the previous restriction which was only applied to nicotine vaping products.
In Scotland, both nicotine and non-nicotine vapes were already subject to age restrictions, but these will now also cover nicotine products.
