ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has responded to a consultation by the Department of Health, supporting the proposed restriction of 18 years of age for the sale of nicotine inhaling products, such as electronic cigarettes.
The proposed regulations would make it an offence to sell nicotine inhaling products to anyone under the age of 18 and make ‘proxy purchasing’ – adults buying the product for an individual under age – of e-cigarettes illegal.
The Government has confirmed that a vote on the introduction of standardised tobacco packaging will take place before Parliament breaks ahead of the General Election.
Health Minister Jane Ellison announced during an evening adjournment debate on Wednesday that the measures would be laid before parliament.
In response to a study on plain packaging in Australia, ACS has reiterated its call to the Department of Health to look closely at the operational impact that tobacco plain packaging would have on retailers and other businesses in the UK.
ACS has called on the Department of Health to look again at the operational impact that plain tobacco packaging would have on retailers.
In its submission, ACS raises concerns that the operational burdens of standardized packaging on retailers have not been fully considered. ACS argues that the removal of branding on tobacco products would make those products more difficult to differentiate, increasing handling and transactions times at every stage.
The Regulatory Policy Committee has published their Opinion on the Impact Assessment for the introduction of plain packaging in the UK, raising a number of concerns about the Department of Health’s analysis of the impact on businesses. In the document, released today, the RPC has called on the Department of Health to look at the following areas with regard to impact on businesses:
