TPD & THE IMPACT ON VAPING IN IRELAND

From 20 May 2016, e-cigarettes and other nicotine vapour products are set to be regulated in Europe under Article 20 of the Tobacco Products Directive (2014/40/EU).

 

The upcoming regulation and restrictions mean that the way you vape will almost certainly be affected.

For your convenience, here is an outline of the major directives effecting vaping and our opinion about them:

 

  • Limiting the size of e-juice containers to 10ml

This is completely unnecessary and will only lead to more cost for the consumer due to extra packaging.

 

  • Limiting the size/capacity of tanks or clearomizers to 2ml

Again, completely unnecessary and will lead to users suffering the burden of having to refill more often, which in turn increases the likelihood of spillage. No more big tanks!

 

  • Limiting the strength of nicotine to 20mg/ml

It is estimated 25-30% of consumers use liquid with a higher nicotine level than this. Most beginners attempting to quit smoking rely on the higher nicotine level to ease the transition. To put into perspective, nicotine patches are typically between the 20-25mg for beginners.

 

  • E-cigs and refill containers must have a mechanism to ensure leak free refilling

Sounds like a good thing but in reality it may result in the end of tanks in favour of antiquated cartomizers which means less vapour production and limited flavour. No current system can offer leak free refilling as it is largely down to the user.

 

  • Notification regime

This could cause stagnation in the market because all new products will have to submit detailed dossiers of the product while waiting 6 months for clearance before being allowed to place on the market.

 

  • A ban on almost all advertising, sponsorship and promotion of e-cigarettes

There are very strict advertising laws concerning tobacco products and we can assume everyone agrees that a product responsible for nearly 6 million deaths per year worldwide should not be allowed promote. Smoking tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death. Vaping by contrast has the potential to preserve those smokers from preventable deaths. Therefore, we have to ask why we should not be screaming about it from the rooftops – promoting this extremely healthier option! Recent studies indicate vaping is 95% safer than smoking. The study was carried out by the UK’s Department of Health and can be found here.

 

 

While the majority of the vaping community welcomes regulations, these directives may cause unintended harm. As we pointed out, some of the directives appear to be completely unnecessary and unfair. As a direct result some of your favourite products may become unavailable (hopefully this will only be temporarily).

At this late stage in the proceedings not much is likely to be reversed but we can only hope a light approach to the regulations is applied by our Government and as such that is something you can potentially influence. Let your local politicians know what vaping means to you!

In the meantime, we continue to be dedicated to the needs of our customers and shall strive to provide a wide range of products no matter what consequences arise from the TPD. If you have any concerns about the availability of your favourite products please feel free to call into the shop or send us a message and we will be delighted to advise you.

 

The full directive can be found here.

RegulationsTpdVaping

1 comment

Kevin Reynolds

Kevin Reynolds

Corruption and evil at the heart of the EU is the only realistic explanation for the TPD. Only big tobacco companies, pharma giants and member state tax revenue will benefit from this foolish pointless legislation at the cost of every life lost to smoking. Until the law fully supports and promotes vaping as a painless and healthy way to quit smoking, EU legislators are directly responsible for the shortened lives of all smokers. Watch the documentary A Billion Lives for more. I did not get a chance to vote on the TPD – how is that democracy?

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