Imperial Brands is calling for an outright ban on the deliberate marketing of vapes towards young people, as part of a wider crackdown on underage vaping.
The owner of the blu vape brand, Imperial proposes a reform of vape flavour names and a ban on packaging that deliberately appeals to under-18s.
It also wants to see the introduction of Fixed Penalty Notices for those selling to under 18s, and a vape retailer licensing scheme to improve compliance across the retail environment.
To help pay for enforcement measures, it has put forward the introduction of an excise duty on all vaping products.
The company stops short of a ban on disposable devices, however. Instead, it believes there should be more robust enforcement of existing legislation, and greater penalties for breaches of age of sale legislation.
Oliver Kutz, General Manager UK and Ireland at Imperial Brands, said: “If the UK wants to continue on its journey to reduce smoking, whilst preventing the rise of youth vaping, greater enforcement of the current regulations at the point of sale is imperative.
“The introduction of a retailer licensing scheme, alongside Fixed Penalty Notices for breaches, would deter retailers from selling to under 18s, ensuring a crackdown on youth vaping that does not risk existing vapers reverting to smoking.”
