The Tobacco and Vapes Bill: What Will It Mean for Retailers?

The recent UK general election saw the Conservatives ousted after 14 years in power, with Labour enjoying sweeping victories across the country. The new government has promised a raft of changes, many of which were outlined in the King’s Speech last month. Among these changes is the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which looks set to shake up how these age-restricted products are marketed and sold.

In this article, we take a look at the Tobacco and Vapes Bill in more detail and discuss what it could mean for retailers and merchants moving forward. Read on to learn more.

What’s in the Bill?

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill was originally introduced by Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government. However, it received cross-party support, and it’s now evident that Labour plans to continue pushing ahead with the legislation.

The bill proposes a number of changes in regard to the sale and marketing of tobacco and vape products. For vapes, new rules will be introduced to limit their appeal to young people and children. This will involve limits on particular flavours and restrictions on the design of packaging, advertisements and the placement of vape products in shops.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will also make it a criminal offence to sell nicotine-free vapes to people under the age of 18 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Perhaps the most significant aspect of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill is the plan to eventually phase out the use of tobacco products to bring about a ‘smoke-free generation’. Let’s find out more.

Smoke-Free Generation

The health risks associated with smoking are well documented. Tobacco products are extremely harmful to society and put extra pressure on health services. Rather than introduce an immediate, blanket ban, the government instead intends to slowly phase out the sale of tobacco.

To do so, new legislation will make it illegal for anyone born after 1 January 2009 to buy tobacco products. What this means is that, while adults who currently smoke will be unaffected, children will never have the opportunity to purchase tobacco and start smoking.

Activists and anti-smoking campaigners will see this as welcome news. While the health benefits of the legislation will be a huge positive for society and young people, the new rules will make things more difficult for tobacco and vape retailers.

What Does This Mean for Retailers?

For in-store retailers of tobacco and vape products, age verifications can be carried out easily by asking customers to show ID. However, for merchants who sell these products online, things become more difficult.

Included as part of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will be heavier penalties for retailers found to be in breach of new regulations. For online merchants, steps must be taken to ensure they remain compliant and adhere to the new laws.

For many, this will require an overhaul of existing age verification processes. This is where AgeChecked comes in, we can provide retailers with a comprehensive age verification solution to prevent the sale of age-restricted products to underage customers. Our solution is flexible and fully scalable; it can be customised to suit the unique needs and requirements of individual organisations to ensure results that are both accurate and cost-effective.

Conclusion

The new UK government has promised sweeping changes, with the Tobacco and Vapes Bill one of many new pieces of legislation set to come into force. The bill is designed to reduce and ultimately eradicate tobacco-related harm but will mean a period of adjustment for retailers and merchants, particularly those who operate online. Business owners must ensure they have a reliable age verification solution in place before these new rules come into effect.