As part of their plans to tackle youth vaping, the Government intends to legislate for new powers which would allow them to introduce flavour restrictions for e-liquids in the UK. This move could have huge consequences for current and future adult vapers who are using e-cigarettes as an alternative to smoking.
What is the petition for?
The petition, created on 14th Feb 2024, gives those opposed to potential flavour restrictions a voice, as the more signatures the petition receives, the more attention it will receive from Government.
While vape flavours can be seen as being appealing to underage people, it is important to recognise that they also play a crucial role in helping many vapers maintain their smoke-free journey. The vaping community, along with many health authorities, are concerned that the introduction of flavour restrictions could therefore have a negative impact on current vapers, leading them to return to smoking or to seek the flavours they want from illicit sources.
How to sign the petition
Any British citizen or UK resident can sign the petition, and it can be completed in less than a minute. You will be asked to enter your full name, an email address, and your postcode, there will also be the option for you to receive updates on the petition via email which you can choose to tick or untick depending on your preference.
Before your signature can be added to the petition you will be asked to confirm your email address by clicking the link in an email sent to you from the petitions team, and that’s it.
Each person can only sign once, but if you want to encourage more support you can share the link to the petition to ensure it gets as much attention as possible.
How does the petition work?
Any UK citizen can create a petition, as long as they have five people to initially support it. Once the petition has been reviewed and accepted by the UK Government and Parliament site they will publish it and any British citizen or UK resident can then sign the petition to show their support.
If the petition can gain 10,000 signatures the Government will respond to it, and if 100,000 signatures are reached it will be considered for Parliamentary debate. Almost all petitions that reach 100,000 signatures are debated in Parliament, which will help to not only demonstrate the public support for the petition to Government, but also press them to take action.
Why should UK vapers sign the petition?
The Government are planning a new open consultation which will address potential flavour bans, standardised packaging, and display restrictions. However, the date for this consultation has not yet been released, so in the meantime this petition gives us the opportunity to spread awareness and show support for e-liquid flavours.
Research commissioned by a member of the Independent British Vape Trade Association (IBVTA) found that 39% of vapers use fruit flavours, where only 21% use tobacco flavours. Furthermore, 59% of vapers report that having a range of different vape flavours to choose from has helped stop them from returning to smoking, or reduce their use of traditional cigarettes.
When we are assisting our customers as they get started on their vaping journey, choosing the right flavours for them is a crucial step. Many vapers will quickly realise that the reason they smoke is because they are addicted to nicotine, and not because they enjoy the taste of tobacco. Choosing flavours that they enjoy can help ensure that a vaper continues to pick up their e-cigarette in favour of returning to smoking.
The potential restrictions the Government have discussed could hinder many current vapers in their stop smoking attempt, and prevent current smokers from ever making the switch to vaping, by making it a less appealing alternative.
The petition has already received over 10,000 signatures in the first two days meaning that the Government will respond. Have your say on the future of vaping and sign the petition today.
Sources
gov.uk 28/01/2024
petition.parliament.uk 14/02/2024
ibvta.org.uk 2023
ibvta.org.uk 2023
