The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS), which organizes convenience stores, petrol stations and the like in the UK, is now taking action to tackle the increasing use of e-cigarettes by minors. Convenience Stores Sweden News reports.
Since the UK government decided to increase efforts To encourage smokers to switch from cigarettes to e-cigarettes, interest in the market has increased significantly. Vaping is already popular in the UK and according to the authorities, the technology has potential to reduce smoking to below 5 percent by 2030. Recently, the government launched a "swap-to-stop" program where one million smokers are given the opportunity to try e-cigarettes - free of charge.
Increased availability of e-cigs
At the same time, debate rages about the increasing use of e-cigarettes among young people. At the heart of this is the availability of the latest addition to the vejp market: disposable models. In the past, e-cigarettes were primarily sold in specialty shops, but disposable vapes are now available in every other convenience store and gas station, even in Sweden. Availability has therefore increased dramatically and interest among young people to test products is increasing at the same rate. "This places ever greater demands on retailers," says ACS's CEO James Lowan i Convenience Stores Sweden News.
"It is positive that the government is committed to reducing smoking through innovative methods. We also very much welcome the recognition of the need for a properly functioning vaping market. Only adults should be able to buy these products" he says.
Educating shop owners
In the context of the swap-to-stop project, ACS is now launching a campaign to educate members about e-cigarettes. Stores are encouraged to treat e-cigarettes in the same way as cigarettes, where anyone who looks like they are under 25 has to identify themselves to buy the products.
At the same time, it wants to ensure that retailers can distinguish legal products from illegal variants. Single-use vapes with excessive nicotine strengths, excessive capacity (technically more than 600 puffs) and inaccurate warnings abound on the black market and sometimes find their way into shops through various sellers.
"More focus on enforcement, backed by more resources at local level, is the way to go. Only legal products should reach retailers and consumers" says James Lowan in Convenience Stores Sweden News.
