Regulations

Regulatory review

In 2021 the Government was required to review the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations which include e-cigarette regulations. The ASH and SPECTRUM response identified loopholes in the law which need to be addressed:

• While sale to under 18s is prohibited, free distribution is not.

• Regulation of e-cigarettes allows the use of packaging and labelling appealing to children such as sweet names, cartoon characters and garish colours

The Government post-implementation review response did not commit to address these loopholes.

Furthermore while the rules on enforcement are clear, there is a lack of capacity to deliver which needs to be addressed in the forthcoming Tobacco Control Plan for England.