FEATURE
BRE X IT:
BY STAFF REPORTER
DEAL, OR NO DEAL?
THAT’S THE QUESTION EVERYONE IS ASKING,
NO MATTER WHAT INDUSTRY YOU’RE IN.
With each day that passes, it is anyone’s guess what
the result of Brexit will be, and what the knock-on
effects may be to the vape industry.
In December, news came from Westminster that the UK
government was not ruling out revising vape regulations post-
Brexit. Up until this point, it had been thought that no changes
would be implemented, and all would run as it has been since
the introduction of the TPD. Back then, the TPD was seen as a
massive inconvenience to the industry. Now, can you imagine
this industry without it?
In response to the Science and Technology Committee’s
evidence review report published last August, the Department
of Health and Social Care said before Christmas it would look
at the options Brexit could present for the Great British vape
industry, one of the leading vape industries worldwide.
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“The government will review where the UK’s exit from the
EU offers us opportunities to re‑appraise current regulation
to ensure this continues to protect the nation’s health.
The government will explore those areas identified by the
committee, such as the 20mg/ml maximum nicotine refill limit,
a size restriction of 2ml on the tank, a block on advertising
e-cigarettes’ relative harm-reduction potential and the
notification scheme for e-cigarette ingredients.”
Merely a week into 2019, MPs debated and then agreed a list
which will ensure that if no deal is reached by the exit deadline,
two pieces of EU tobacco legislation will be signed into UK law.
This allows for the provision of the Tobacco Products Directive
and the Tobacco Advertising Directive to remain in place
following a bad break-up.