Recently, John Dunne, director general of the UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA), said in an interview that 40% to 60% of disposable e-cigarettes currently sold in the country either do not comply with domestic laws or are counterfeit products.
“Based on the amount of illegal products I’ve seen on the market, the amount of illegal sales being reported, and what’s being reported against transactional standards, I think this is a serious problem and a huge concern,” he explained. Between 200 and 400 reports of illegal UK sellers are received every month. All are sent to MHRA and Trading Standards for enforcement.”
More than 3,000 illicit e-cigarettes worth around £40,000 were seized this month by officers from West Yorkshire Trading Standards and Kirklees city centre teams.
John Dunne has warned that breaches among retailers could devastate an industry with huge potential. “It’s a market with huge growth potential if retailers are allowed to grow responsibly, but shortsightedness and neglect of compliance will have a detrimental effect. It could lead to bans in the industry or restrictions such as flavor bans.”
John Dunne advises retailers not sure which products to stock, check available guides, including those on the UKVIA website. “The simplest advice I can give is, if it’s more than 600 to 800 mouthfuls, don’t get this product.”
He also called for more action against retailers selling vaping products to minors under the age of 18. UKVIA recently outlined a series of measures to crack down on retailers selling e-cigarettes to children and young people, including a £10,000 fine and a national retail licensing scheme.
“When I talk to retailers, I ask them to really think about what they’re doing and whether they’d like to make these products available to their kids. If the answer is no, then why are you selling e-cigarettes to kids? “
