The NFRN has written to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to protest about retailers’ views being omitted from the government’s policy response to its consultation about creating a smoke-free generation.
In the letter, National President Muntazir Dipoti said that by disregarding the views of retailers who sold tobacco, the consultation outcome was “unjust and unbalanced”.
He wrote: “Our members are at the frontline of society and well placed to comment on how best to take effective action in the real world against products deemed harmful.
“We do not believe that the consultations on vaping products and tobacco evidenced sufficient awareness of the fact that it is already against the law to sell such products to children. A new law is unnecessary, as the legislation was not lacking – it was enforcement which was badly lacking.”
He warned: “By banning the sale of single use vapes in legitimate retail outlets, the governments of the four nations are simply handing a blank cheque to rogue dealers on social media and street corners by school gates. The legislation will impact on visible traders rather than the less visible ones who trade on a large scale.”
Dipoti added: “It seems to us that politicians have gone for an option which looks good on paper and in headlines, rather than investing the level of resources that would enable trading officers to combat rogue traders effectively.”
The trade association has also sent similar letters to Lorna Slater, the minister for the circular economy in Scotland, and to Eluned Morgan, the Welsh minister for health and social services.
