Government watchdog says vape display ban could clash with its own stop smoking schemes
The UK's Regulatory Policy Committee warns that banning vape displays may conflict with government schemes that use vapes to help smokers quit.Summary
The UK Government's Regulatory Policy Committee (RPC) has warned that plans to force vapes out of sight in stores could contradict the government's own stop smoking schemes, which promote vaping as a cessation tool. The RPC noted the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) had not originally chosen a preferred display restriction option due to the tension between restricting displays and promoting vaping for smoking cessation. It also urged the DHSC to consider the previous tobacco display ban review, which did not recommend extending the ban to vapes, and to justify why a different approach is now being taken. Despite the RPC's report in November last year, the DHSC pressed on, selecting the strictest of four options for the display ban and putting it into public consultation in July. The new regulations would treat vapes like cigarettes, kept behind shutters and shown only briefly when an adult asks, with a possible exemption for community pharmacies. We Vape founder Mark Oates criticized the contradiction, noting that one arm of the DHSC provides free vapes to smokers while another wants to hide them, and called for ministers to publish a full answer to the RPC. The RPC cleared the department's evidence for consultation on the understanding that its points would be addressed; the DHSC says responses are being considered with no decision date set.
(Source：Convenience Store)
