The House of Lords have approved the draft Nicotine Inhaling Products (Age of Sale and Proxy Purchasing) Regulations 2015. This will mean that from the 1st October 2015, it will be illegal to sell e-cigarettes to anyone under the age of 18 in England and Wales.
The regulations will:
- Make it an offence to sell nicotine inhaling products (such as e-cigarettes) and related products to anyone under the age of 18 years
- Extend the tobacco ‘proxy purchasing’ offence in the Act to also cover e-cigarettes, so it would also be an offence for an adult to buy a nicotine inhaling products on behalf of a person under 18 years
- Exempt the sale of any nicotine inhaling product that is licensed as a medicine, where it has been prescribed to the child or where the medicine is indicated for use by children
ACS Chief Executive James Lowman said: “E-cigarettes are a growing product category in convenience stores, providing a viable alternative to smoking for thousands of people. The vast majority of our members already have a voluntary age restriction on these products in place, but these regulations will provide important clarity for all responsible retailers who sell these products and ensure that they have the support of legislation.”
The House also passed the draft Proxy Purchasing of Tobacco , Nicotine Products etc. (Fixed Penalty Amount) Regulations 2015, which from 1st October, means that the fixed penalty for proxy purchase of tobacco and e-cigarettes will be £90. The fine applies to the person who purchases or attempts to purchase tobacco or nicotine products (such as e-cigarettes) on behalf of a person under the age of 18.
The regulations can be viewed here: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2015/9780111130568
