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As the vape market grows steadily, the UK's vaping law is improving. Its primary focus is on regulating new vape products like traditional cigarettes and preventing minors from using them by adding specific amounts of nicotine to e-liquids. As of now, how old do you have to be to vape in the UK? Read on to find out.

What Does the UK Vaping Law State?

According to the vaping law in the UK, e-cigarettes and e-liquids cannot be sold to anyone under 18. Anyone selling e-cigarettes or e-liquids must also ensure that any e-cigarette or e-liquid advertisements do not feature models posing as if they were under 25 years old. This is also the law for selling any vapes to minors. 

If a retailer is caught selling e-cigarettes and e-liquids to minors, they can be fined up to ￡2,500. The same applies if an adult buys vapes for a minor, too; the adult can be fined up to ￡2,500.

What's the Legal Age to Buy Nicotine-Free Vape Juice?

In the UK, it's illegal to sell e-liquid with a nicotine or tobacco flavour to anyone under 18. Those under 18 can purchase e-liquids with a tobacco or nicotine-based flavour without nicotine. This also means public places can ask for ID if you are under 18 and are vaping a tobacco-flavoured e-liquid. This goes the same for nicotine-free vape juice.

Is the Legal Age for Vaping the Same as Smoking?

The legal age to purchase tobacco products in the United Kingdom used to be sixteen, but that age was raised to eighteen in October 2007. As of 2015, after introducing a minimum legal age for purchasing electronic cigarettes and e-liquids, the legal smoking age and the legal vaping age are the same: eighteen years old. 

Although minors should never purchase nicotine and tobacco products, and all such products should be kept well away from children, adults are not prohibited from using tobacco products.

Law Doesn't Ban Vape, But Businesses and Organizations Will Do

In the United Kingdom (UK), smoking in enclosed public places and workplaces is illegal because evidence shows how harmful it is to secondhand smoke. However, vaping is not banned in the same public areas. 

Instead, businesses may put a vaping ban in place if they choose. Many establishments have taken advantage of this and ruled that e-cigarettes may not be used on their premises.

The Continuously Completing Vaping Law in the UK

The law in the UK governing the use, sale, and advertising of e-cigarettes is constantly changing as the country originates its own laws to comply with the TPD (European Union Tobacco Products Directive). The UK laws regarding e-cigarettes are translated from EU law via the TRPR (Tobacco and Related Products Regulations).

UK law allows vapers to vape anywhere that smoking is permitted. Vaping laws are governed by the TPD (European Union Tobacco Products Directive). The TPD was adopted into UK law via the TRPR (Tobacco and Related Products Regulations).

In 2018, the Royal College of Physicians recommended that proportionate regulation should be used to protect the public while encouraging smokers to switch to vaping. It is also suggested that long-term tobacco control objectives do not conflict with other goals.

Conclusion

After reading about the rules for vaping in the UK, it is essential to follow them as a responsible citizen. It is illegal for anyone under 18 to vape, so please abstain from vaping if you are underage. The same goes for retailers and manufacturers: be sure to comply with the rules. Avoid vaping or smoking in public areas and create a harmonious environment for vapers and smokers!

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