FOLLOWING Suit WITH Flying COLOURS

following concerns raised by parents on teen vaping. Twelve retailers were put to the test by Cumbria police and Trading Standards in the sting operation, and all twelve retailers passed after refusing to sell to persons under 18. New Government proposals means that more of these undercover operations are underway across other districts in the UK, with any traders found breaking the rules being prosecuted and fined.

NOT NOW NOT Ever

As the government reportedly considers introducing a new UK vape tax, the President of Middle East vape brand ANDS says the move could prove disastrous. The ANDS co-founder said when high vape taxes were imposed in the Middle East the black market flourished with up to 90 percent of vapes found to be non-compliant or fake. Maayta warned: “Taxation is not right route to go down now, nor in the future.” For an in-depth look at this topic, see our feature ‘Illicit sellers are the villains. Not us.’

VAEP, an information-based organisation designed to ‘review the science’, have released a new educational video on why vaping isn’t the same as smoking. Charles A. Gardener, healthcare professional and vaping advocate, has shared the video on Twitter, stressing the importance of understanding the difference between ‘dependence’ and ‘addiction’. VAEP aims to stop the spread of misinformation around vaping by breaking down the science and encouraging smokers to use e-cigarettes as cessation tools instead of nicotine patches or psychoactive medications.

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Cigarette Smoke

Thailand (ECST) have come forward commending the ‘swap to stop’ scheme currently being implemented in the UK, providing free vaping kits to smokers. Asa Saligupta, a representative of ECST, has said: “E-cigarettes are legal in England, allowing its government to impose measures and effectively enforce the regulations to protect minors.” Vaping is currently illegal in Thailand, leading to unregulated black market selling and easy access for children. The ECST hope to implement a similar scheme after the 2023 elections to correspond with emerging scientific evidence and international practices.