New E-Cigarette Laws - A Brief overview of what to Expect
2015 saw e-cigs make it to the mainstream as Britons took up vaping in droves. in fact, according to reports, a staggering 2.6 million adults presently in Britain have been confirmed to be using e-cigs with this figure expected to continue rising over the next few years. Interesting thing is, as much as their popularity continues to soar and so are the calls for greater regulation. This is clearly evident from the existence of a series of new rules set to come from the EU expected to come into effect from around the 2oth of may and are expected to make some very big changes on how you vape.
It is equally important to note that from the said date, the 2001 tobacco productive directive will receive an update to allow for e-cigs to be classified as tobacco related product.
Below is an overview of some of the new set of rules expected to take effect, 1) Smaller refill containers At the moment, there are no limitations on the size of the refill containers. It is for this reason that a new maximum size of 10ml is set to be introduced. This therefore means that users will no longer have the opportunity to buy in bulk in a bid to save money. The net effect of this will be a significant increase in the overall prices. 2) Weakening of the potency At the moment, the maximum strength that is permitted is 24 mg, this however under the new set of regulations is expected t be reduced to 20 mg. 3) Introduction of Smaller tanks and cartridges Cartridges are set to be reduced to 2ml. 4) Child proofing Owing to the increased popularity of vaping, concerns have been raised that they could easily become very popular amongst school going children since e-cigs are perceived to help make smoking cool once again. Good thing is, under the new set of regulations, all e-cisgs and their related packaging will be made childproof. 5) Greater government scrutiny Manufacturers will be required to submit to the government detailed and transparent information about what exactly the products which they sell comprise of. 6) Opening up of the possibility of banning e-cigs altogether Under the new regulations, in the event that any three EU member states express the desire to ban E-cigarettes, chances are that a process will be initiated to completely ban them altogether.The role out will be in stages. This coming May 2016, all vendors based in the UK will stop adding new products to their store. Sales will continue for existing products, however anything new will need to approved by the MHRA and in the initial stage won't be released until May 2017. There after new product submission will take 6 months before sale is permitted.
The second stage begins in November 2016. All vendor product submissions must have been submitted to the MHRA by this date. From here on out existing products that have not been submitted have until May 2017 to sell out.
The final stage starts from May 2017 onwards. Only products that have been approved by the MHRA may be sold.
It is important to note that only e liquid and atomisers (including coils) or full kits are required for regulation. Batteries and accessories as well as Nicotine Free flavoured VG or PG E liquid are not required.
