Highland Council has warned retailers about stocking illegal vape products as they crack down on the practice.
They say they have seized “well over” 3,000 products from shops in the area over the past 12 months.
Officers from Trading Standards have also issued several £200 fixed penalty notices to those stocking them. Three of them can lead to the retailer being banned from stocking vapes.
Included in their findings was a wide range of “non-compliant vapes”, some of which pose a high risk to the health of potential users.
Illegal vapes are often unsafe
Under UK law, the safe legal standard for the capacity of a vape tank is 2ml, but often illegal ones can have larger ones. They can contain dangerous levels of nicotine.
David MacKenzie, Highland Council’s Trading Standards manager said: “The explosion in the sale of vapes recently has brought a variety of challenges for us.
“Unsafe vapes have been found in general supply, while other products lack instructions and warnings which are essential to inform those who suffer from diabetes or heart conditions.”
Seizures at the Black Isle show
A recent example of this was at the Black Isle Show, near Inverness, in August.
Single-use vapes were being sold from an unregistered stall, but prompt action by the show organisers enabled Trading Standards to arrive on scene.
They seized vapes that not only lacked necessary labels, instructions, and warnings, but were also found to have “extremely high levels” of nicotine.
Trading Standards are concerned that retailers may be buying single-use vapes designed for the US market on the internet. These can have nicotine levels 10 to 12 times higher than the legal level in the UK.
Vapes can be attractive to children
Recent trends in vaping products have seen a huge demand for single-use vapes. These are battery-operated and sold in a variety of flavours and bright colours.
They can be particularly attractive to young people and children.
It can be quite affordable for children too. Illegal vapes were sized from an Aberdeen shop with five times the legal nicotine limit in October last year – costing only £5 each.
Highland Council Trading Standards is urging retailers who are registered to sell vapes to ensure that they buy from reputable UK suppliers and wholesalers.
They warn that retailers must not sell non-compliant vapes to the public. And of course, must not sell any type of vapes to children.
A rising problem across the UK
However, the problem is not unique to the highlands. It has been an issue all across the UK in recent years as the popularity of vapes has increased.
According to Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) the number of people vaping in Great Britain is now at 4.3 million – the highest ever.
In April, more than 100 illegal vapes were seized in Aberdeen city centre shops.
If you see any illegal vapes or see any underage sales, contact Trading Standards.
Conversation