Be Vape Vigilant: Report Illicit Vape Traders
The UKVIA is calling on vapers to be vape vigilant and report rogue vape traders, including retailers who sell to minors and those who sell illicit vapes.
The UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) has launched an initiative calling on vapers to report when they see rogue traders selling vapes illicitly.
Be Vape Vigilant: Suspect it. Report it. Sort it.
The tagline is reminiscent of TFL, of course, but the Be Vape Vigilant initiative is hugely important if we want to curb youth vaping.
The initiative spotlights the small number of retailers who give vaping a bad name. Vaping is proven to help adult smokers quit their deadly habit with the most effective smoking cessation aid in history, yet unscrupulous sellers are providing vapes to under-18s, which puts the whole vape industry at risk.
Kids under 18 aren’t getting their vapes from licensed, dedicated vape retailers like ourselves. They’re not getting them from specialist vape stores on the high street, and they’re certainly not getting them at Tesco.
They’re getting vapes from rogue sellers—places where they’re not ID’d or questioned. The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) says that around a third of shops are guilty of knowingly engaging in underage vape sales, and as many as one in three vape products may be non-compliant.
Non-compliant vapes include both counterfeit or illegal vapes that haven’t been tested for safety or approved for sale in the UK.
The CTSI has also said that it doesn’t have the resources to tackle rogue traders and have called for “more boots on the ground,” so to speak, to help enforce regulations.
This is where you come in.
By being vape vigilant and filing a report to highlight illegal activity, you’ll put these shady traders on Trading Standards’ radar so authorities can help put a stop to their practices.
How do I report underage vape sales?
Be Vape Vigilant has made it easy-peasy for anyone to report illicit vape sales, including sales to under-18s and sales of illicit vapes.
- Head to the UKVIA Be Vape Vigilant page and fill out the form.
- Click “Report Now” to file your report.
- The UKVIA will pass your report on to the relevant authorities and monitor the outcome.
Summary
CTSI has their hands full, so we need to step up and do our part to help clean up vaping’s image. It’s rogue traders like these who give vaping a bad name, handing disposables to minors without question for a quick buck.
Do your part and be vape vigilant. If you see a shop selling illegal vapes or vapes to anyone under 18, report it to Be Vape Vigilant and the UKVIA will ensure that the information is sent to the proper authorities.