Vaping

UKVIA hails regulations’ review as ‘win’ for vaping

The government's review found that existing regulations meet original objectives.

The UK Vaping Industry Association has welcomed the Department for Health and Social Care’s (DHSC) review into the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations (TRPR).

Describing it as a “win for the UK’s vaping sector”, the association notes that while the review has not changed existing measures, it “clearly states the positive impact that vaping can have in helping people to quit smoking”.

“What this tells me is that the industry is doing its job in bringing to the fore some of the things that have been holding back vaping’s ability to support the Government’s smoke-free targets to full effect,” UKVIA Director General John Dunne said.

“Today’s development with its acknowledgement of vaping’s value towards smoking harm reduction goes at least some way to paving the road for us to move on from the frankly dangerous misinformation that has stopped vaping from realising its full public health potential in the past, and we will continue our campaigning to make this happen and support the Government’s smoke-free agenda,” he added.

The Government has set itself a target of reducing the amount of UK smokers to just 5% of the population in the next eight years with the TRPR and other developments, such as the yet to be published Tobacco Control Plan (TCP).

The DHSC’s review, published on 25 March, found that existing TRPR regulations “met their original objectives” and that they “could not be better achieved through alternative regulatory measures”.

The UKVIA submitted a package of recommendations to the TRPR consultation, including the use of Government-approved expert health claims on products to address misinformation; greater opportunities for the vaping industry to engage with smokers; and the extension of certain regulations to cover additional vaping products, such as non-nicotine e-liquids.