The Government is consulting on major new restrictions for vaping and nicotine products.
The proposals would change how legal vapes can be packaged, named, designed and displayed in shops. They include plain packaging, limits on device colours and appearance, restrictions on flavour descriptions, and requirements to keep products out of sight at retail.
These measures are presented as a way to reduce youth vaping.
We all want to prevent underage vaping. Retailers who break age-of-sale rules should face meaningful penalties, while illegal and non-compliant products should be removed from the market.
But the Government also needs to ask a harder question:
Will these proposals reduce smoking, or could they make it harder for adults to move away from cigarettes?
That question must be at the centre of this consultation.
This is your opportunity to tell the Government how the proposals could affect you.
The consultation closes at 11:59 pm on 2 October 2026.
The Government is considering new rules that could:
These proposals may be intended to reduce youth appeal, but they will also have unintended consequences for adults who vape instead of smoke.
Here are some key reasons why we need your voice:
If flavour names become too vague or restricted, adults may struggle to find the regulated products that helped them leave smoking behind. Flavour choice is essential for adults who quit smoking. [1]
Adults need to distinguish between products, understand flavours, identify nicotine strengths and make informed choices. Excessive restrictions will hurt consumer preferences. [2]
Smoking prevalence in the UK is 11%, and much higher in lower-income communities.[3] Making harm-reduction products harder for adults to find in stores is bad policy.
Use your voice on social media to spread the word about why flavours are important. If flavours helped you quit smoking, tell your friends, family and network. There is a lot of misinformation and disinformation about vaping in the media; countering it with all the positive stories about how vaping has helped your health and finances can make a difference.
The UK is still far away from its “smoke-free” targets of 5%. To get there, we need to make harm reduction products varied and visible. Vapes are not cigarettes, and they shouldn’t be regulated in the same way.
The consultation closes at 11:59 pm on 2 October 2026. Have your say, and ensure that vapes stay visible.