Scotland passed a law on 3rd March 2016 that finally banned the sale of e-cigarettes to under 18s. The bill was originally introduced back in June last year, but it has taken until now to see it passed into law. Anyone selling e-cigs to under 18s will now be breaking the law.
The bill was introduced for consideration in June, and evidence in support of the bill was then presented in September and October. It was considered by various committees before going through a number of amendments. Finally, it became enshrined in law on 3rd March.
What does the new law mean?
It means under 18s won’t be able to buy e-cigarettes anymore. It is also now illegal for anyone else to buy e-cigarettes or any other vaping products for someone who is under 18.
But there are other changes that have now become law as well. For example, you’ll no longer see any vaping products available in vending machines throughout Scotland. They have been banned under the same law. Furthermore, advertising vaping products won’t be as easy as it has been until now. Regulations can be brought in that mean e-cigs can’t be advertised, in much the same way smoking cannot be promoted or advertised.
Is this good news?
Actually, yes. Most people would be against the idea of selling cigarettes to underage people, so the same should go for electronic cigarettes, too.
However, the bigger area of interest concerns the idea of banning advertising. There has been some concern that e-cigs could be promoted to look attractive to those who are underage. You could argue that youngsters manage to find cigarettes and start smoking, even though they are underage and cannot legally buy them. Surely the same will eventually be said for e-cigs as well?
If advertising was banned, it may mean youngsters who have started smoking and want to give up may not realise there is an alternative. It is important to make sure people know there are solutions they can rely on to help them stop smoking – even when they are younger. We may not think there are too many underage smokers who would consider quitting – but we don’t know this for sure.
Whatever the case may be, these new laws mean vapers in Scotland may not see too many ads for vaping in the coming months and years. What are your thoughts?
