This Friday (20th May 2016), the new laws of the TPD will be rolled out across Europe. There has been endless debate concerning the TPD since it was first initiated in 2014, and even high court appeals, but if there’s one thing we’ve learned about the EU, it’s that they’re not for turning.
And so we find ourselves dealing with the interpretation of these new laws and it’ll be interesting to see how it all pans out, especially if the UK does the sensible thing and leaves the European Union in June. For now though, e cigarette vendors such as ourselves will have 12 months to sell our existing stock and be fully compliant with the new regulations.
So, what are the new regulations?
Tanks and E Liquid Containers
The news rules dictate that we’re only allowed to sell tanks up to a maximum of 2ml. This means our most popular tanks, including the Kanger Toptank Mini (4ml) and the Joyetech Cubis (3.5ml) will both be outlawed. Other tanks affected are the Kanger Toptank Nano (3.2ml), the Innokin iSub (4ml) and the Aspire Cleito (3.5ml). So if you like the convenience of a larger tank then you’d better order up a few spares, because unless there’s a dramatic turn around, once these babies are gone, they’re gone.
Nicotine Strength
The nicotine strength of e liquid will be restricted to 20mg. Currently we sell up to 24mg, which is a highly popular strength, but as stocks run out we’ll have to resupply at a maximum of 20mg. So if you like a harder hit on your vape then you’d better get stocking up, because we should think these higher strengths will be selling out fast.
Child-proof Packaging
This is a change we welcome as all e liquid containers will need to come in child-proof packaging. This is great for safety concerns, but will probably drive the price of cheaper e liquids up slightly.
Tighter Control on E Liquid and Vaping Products
E liquids must be made from high purity ingredients, which means flavourings and other ingredients must not pose a health risk. This is great news for vapers, but again will contribute to higher prices. Every e liquid manufacturer will now need to submit a notification to the UK and the EU containing ingredients, testing etc. This again will drive up the price of e liquid and e cigarette products, and we assume will drive many small manufacturers or importers out of business.
This means less choice and higher prices.
Advertisements
New advertising laws will come into effect, which include the widespread ban of celebrity endorsements. Also comparisons between smoking and vaping will be banned. This means even respected institutions like the NHS or Cancer Awareness will not be able to promote e cigarettes as a viable alternative to smoking.
Health warnings will need to be printed on all packaging, and a leaflet with instructions on how to use and store e-cigs, along with warnings for risk groups and side-effects, addictiveness and toxicity. Also a list of all ingredients, nicotine content and delivery per dose will need to be supplied with all e liquids. This again sounds like a good idea but as we’ve seen with tobacco it offers no deterrent whatsoever and is only liable to drive up prices.
There’s been conspiracy theories galore surrounding the TPD, and anyone without a vested interest are scratching their heads. For the first time in over a century, since tobacco gripped our nation we have a safer alternative to smoking. This is a proven fact that’s been confirmed by many eminent scientists including the NHS and the Royal College of Physicians. So why the EU would ban advertisements comparing the safety of e cigs to tobacco is mind boggling.
But if we’re to stay in the EU then we’re all going to have to comply with these new regulations, wherever we believe in them or not. So if you have the perfect set up at the moment we would advise you order plenty of spares because as soon as stocks sell out they’ll be replaced with new TPD compliant products. This means smaller tanks, weaker juices and much less choice.
Read the full government regulations here.
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