# Vapes to be put in plain packaging to protect children

By John McGuire — 2026-07-10

John McGuire, manufacturing and compliance director at VPZ | The Vaping Specialist, said: “VPZ welcomes the UK Government’s consultation on the future packaging, display and marketing of vaping products.

“Protecting children and young people from nicotine addiction is a shared objective, and we support proportionate, evidence-based regulation that reduces youth uptake while preserving vaping’s vital role in helping adult smokers quit.

“As the UK’s largest specialist vaping retailer, with almost 190 stores across the country, we have consistently supported stronger action to prevent youth vaping.

“That includes appropriate restrictions on packaging, marketing and promotion, alongside tougher enforcement against retailers who sell to under-18s and those who continue to trade in illegal, non-compliant products.

“The consultation now provides an important opportunity to ensure the final regulations are practical, enforceable and achieve their intended public health objectives.

“Every proposal should be assessed against a simple test. Will it reduce youth vaping while maintaining access to the products adult smokers rely upon to leave cigarettes behind?

“Vaping remains the UK’s most effective smoking cessation aid. Every day, our specialist trained advisers help adult smokers identify the right device, nicotine strength and flavour to maximise their chances of successfully quitting combustible tobacco.

“Within specialist vape stores, packaging is not a marketing tool aimed at children. It is a practical tool that helps trained staff guide adult smokers towards the products most likely to support a successful quit attempt.

“As the consultation develops, careful consideration should also be given to how any new packaging requirements will operate in practice.

“Standardised products which become difficult to distinguish from counterfeit versions risk strengthening the illicit market, making enforcement more challenging for Trading Standards and creating greater opportunities for organised criminal supply chains.

“Regulations should not inadvertently make compliant products easier to copy while leaving illegal operators one step ahead.

“The greatest threat to young people does not come from responsible specialist vape retailers operating strict Challenge 25 policies. It comes from illegal imports, non-compliant products and retailers who ignore existing laws.

“Stronger enforcement, effective retailer licensing and sustained action against the illicit market should therefore sit alongside any new packaging or display requirements if the government is to achieve its objectives.

“VPZ looks forward to contributing constructively to this consultation and continuing to work with governments across all four nations of the United Kingdom, regulators and public health organisations to ensure the final regulations protect children, support effective enforcement and preserve vaping’s proven role in helping adult smokers quit smoking.”

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