A MOTION to place tighter restrictions on American style candy stores selling disposable vapes alongside their products will be put forward at an upcoming council meeting.
Labour Councillor, Esther Gray, of Rubery South Ward is calling on Bromsgrove’s MP Sajid Javid to lobby the government to call a halt to the candy stores opening on high streets.
Coun Gray fears these stores entice young people to take up vaping and develop nicotine addictions, by associating the products – which are sold in bright colours and fruity flavours – with sweets marketed at children and young people.
The motion will be heard at a full meeting of Bromsgrove District Council, at Parkside on Wednesday, October 25 from 6pm.
Coun Gray told the Observer: “I was shocked to find out that our local council was powerless to prevent such shops opening.
“We have no chance of preventing our young people from taking up the habit of smoking vapes if they are enticed into these brightly coloured sweet shops on the way to and from school.
“By associating vaping with the allure of candy treats, shops like these create a dangerous connection in the minds of children, leading them to believe that e-cigarettes are harmless.
“Legislation is required to stop the association between sweets and vapes before a generation of children become addicted and suffer ill-health.”
Trading Standards across the country are aware of the possibility of shops selling vapes to underage children and often carry out research and ‘secret shopper’ exercises to investigate which stores are following legislation.
The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) recently published data from Operation Joseph – where test purchases were carried out at vape retailers, including convenience stores, to tackle illicit vapes and underage sales.
Of the 1,199 test purchases carried out, 27.3 per cent of stores were caught selling to under 18s.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently announced his governments plans on smoking and vaping in the UK, in a bid to reduce the amount of young people taking up the harmful habit.
He is considering an outright ban on disposable vapes and wants to increase the smoking age by one year every, meaning anyone born on or after January 1, 2009 will never legally be old enough to purchase cigarettes.
The Local Government Association will also consult the government on various measures to reduce access to vaping for young people including restricting flavours, preventing their visibility and proximity to other products marketed at children in stores, regulating packaging and branding, and more
CTSI have been approached for comment.
