The sale and supply of single-use vapes are to be banned from 1 April 2025 in Scotland, under proposed legislation.
The Scottish government has put forward draft legislation, which is open for consultation until 8 March, that would see single-use vapes banned.
Announcing the new legislation, Circular Economy Minister, Lorna Slater said: “Legislating to ban the sale and supply of single-use vapes fulfils a Programme for Government commitment to reduce vaping among non-smokers and young people and take action to tackle their environmental impact.
“The public consultation demonstrated that there is strong support for tougher action on vaping. From causing fires in waste facilities to more than 26 million disposable vapes being consumed and thrown away in Scotland in the past year, single-use vapes are a threat to our environment as well as to our public health.
“These proposed changes to the law demonstrate our absolute commitment to further improve the wellbeing of communities and protecting our beautiful natural environment.”
Submissions to the consultation can be made here.
This comes following an announcement by the government that it plans to ban single-use vapes across the UK, with similar legislation to that put forward in Scotland expected to be announced in the coming days.
Commenting on the Scottish government’s announcement, Association of Convenience Stores chief executive James Lowman warned that a ban would help fuel the illicit trade. “The Scottish Government should not rush to implement the disposable vapes ban without proper consultation with industry and a clear understanding of the impact the illicit vaping market that already accounts for one third of the overall UK vaping market. The lack of a published impact assessment reveals the scant consideration of how vapers will respond to this change in the law, and how it will swell the already huge market in illicit vapes.
“We need a clear plan in place for communicating this policy change to consumers without undermining smoke free targets, as our research also suggests that 8% of disposable vape users will return to tobacco products when the ban is introduced.”
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