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VPZ Welcomes Crackdown

UK’s leading vaping retailer welcomes measures to crackdown on illegal youth vaping sales

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Despite the progressive move, the specialist has warned that it needs to go further to cut off access and ensure vaping meets its potential as a key smoking cessation tool.

Director Doug Mutter said: “At the moment we have a challenge in the industry where many imported, unregulated, disposable vaping products are readily available from local convenience stores, supermarkets and several other general retailers with no age verification checks or controls in place.

“The plans announced today by the UK Government are long overdue and a progressive move which will see targeted action on youth vaping and clearly focuses on the irresponsible retailers which are supplying to youths throughout the country.

“This is the approach that we at VPZ, alongside the UK Vaping Industry Association, has been calling for the UK Government to adopt for some time and we are pleased to see positive action.

“Despite this being the start of positive action, we need to go further and we are urging the UK Government to act now and follow best practices from countries like New Zealand, where flavoured products can only be sold from specialist licensed vaping stores. This will ensure that an appropriate challenge 25 policy is in place and consultation is aimed towards adult smokers and vapers.”

VPZ is the UK’s largest vaping specialist with over 150 stores throughout the country.

The Edinburgh-based retailer and manufacturer has already helped over 700k smokers in the UK quit since it was established in 2012.

The retailer also welcomed plans that vape starter kits will be made available to one million smokers in a progressive ‘swap to stop’ scheme.

Doug Mutter added: “Vaping has proven to be the most effective way for people to quit smoking and this new scheme is positive recognition which will bring new momentum to our 2030 smoke free ambitions.”

Dave Cross avatar

Dave Cross

Journalist at POTV
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Dave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous vape companies to develop content for their websites.

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