The British Electronic Cigarette Association Responded To 2Firsts: The Previous Government’s £30 Million Enforcement Fund Has Not Been Fulfilled, And The Retailer Licensing Plan Should Be Implemented As Soon As Possible

The British Electronic Cigarette Association responded to 2Firsts: The previous government's £30 million enforcement fund has not been fulfilled, and the retailer licensing plan should be implemented as soon as possible

The British Electronic Cigarette Industry Association responded to 2Firsts that in the face of the proliferation of illegal e-cigarettes, the 30 million pounds of law enforcement funds promised by the previous government Conservative Party have not been realized, and the e-cigarette retailer and distributor licensing program should be implemented to deal with the sale of illegal e-cigarettes and increase sufficient law enforcement funds.

 

Recently, British media reported that in the past two years, illegal e-cigarettes have been rampant in the UK, and law enforcement agencies have seized nearly 400,000 illegal e-cigarette devices (British media: 12% of adults in the UK use e-cigarettes, and nearly 400,000 illegal devices have been seized in two years). To this end, 2Firsts contacted the British Electronic Cigarette Industry Association (UKVIA) for more relevant information.

 

Patrick Griffin, head of UKVIA media, said that in the face of the proliferation of illegal e-cigarettes, the 30 million pounds of law enforcement funds promised by the previous government Conservative Party have not been realized, and the e-cigarette retailer and distributor licensing program should be implemented to deal with the sale of illegal e-cigarettes and increase sufficient law enforcement funds.

 

Nearly 400,000 illegal e-cigarettes were seized, and the fine for illegal sales was only 10,000 pounds

 

Recently, a British study showed that more than 5.1 million people aged 16 and over use e-cigarettes. With the increase in the number of e-cigarette users, the UK is facing a severe challenge of the proliferation of illegal e-cigarettes. UKVIA has previously issued a warning, emphasizing that the expansion of the illegal e-cigarette market has a significant impact on legal nicotine e-cigarette retailers.

 

Patrick provided 2Firsts with some FOI survey data showing the prevalence of illegal e-cigarettes in the UK. These data came from e-cigarette law enforcement activities carried out by local authority trading standards teams between 2022 and May 30, 2024.

 

A total of more than 387,115 illegal and non-compliant e-cigarettes were seized, most of which were stored, destroyed or sent to recycling centers.
1,867 stores were visited for suspected sale or supply of illegal e-cigarette products.

334 physical retailers were convicted of selling e-cigarettes to minors.

The vast majority of retailers caught selling/storing illegal products or convicted of selling e-cigarettes to minors were non-specialist stores, including convenience stores, post offices and newsagents.

The investigation also found that trading standards teams only imposed fines of £10,730 for the sale and supply of illegal e-cigarette products and £20,340 for selling e-cigarettes to minors.

UK e-cigarette retailers enforcement report | Source: UKVIA

 

The former Conservative government failed to deliver on its £30 million enforcement grant

 

It is reported that in the face of the rampant illegal e-cigarettes, former Health Secretary Andrea Leadsom has repeatedly stated that the government is committed to providing law enforcement agencies with an additional £30 million in funding each year to deal with illegal e-cigarette sales.

 

Patrick mentioned that UKVIA found through collating the latest UK Freedom of Information (FOI) data that local authorities have never received the £30 million in enforcement funds promised by the previous government, and 15 major cities and London borough councils have confirmed that they have not received any enforcement funds.

 

In addition, UKVIA's analysis shows that even if the Conservatives deliver on their promise of enforcement funds, they can only fill part of the funds needed for enforcement.

 

Recommendation to implement e-cigarette retailer and distributor licensing scheme

 

In response, John Dunne, Director General of UKVIA, said that an e-cigarette retailer and distributor licensing scheme should be introduced, which would not only prevent inappropriate stores (such as candy stores) from selling illegal products, impose harsher penalties for violations of the law, but also generate up to £50 million of self-sufficient funds each year, which can be used to enhance trading standards and support proactive national enforcement programs.

 

Patrick said that if the e-cigarette retailer and distributor licensing scheme is implemented, retailers found in FOI investigations to sell e-cigarettes to people under the age of 18 may face a total fine of more than £3,340,000 and be banned from legally selling age-restricted products for two years.

John stressed the importance of the licensing scheme:

 

"It is clear that we are doing more to cut off the supply of illegal e-cigarette sales and we commend Trading Standards officers for working hard with limited resources to bring unscrupulous retailers to justice. However, without significant investment and clear national enforcement action (which will be achieved through licensing), we will never be able to truly stamp out unscrupulous sellers and ensure the industry is more accountable."