Some of you may have heard about the Tobacco Product Directive, some of you may not. This article aims to demystify what the TPD is, and what it means to vapers and how it may or may not affect you.

What is the TPD?

TPD stands for the Tobacco Products Directive. This is a set of rules and regulations, created for the Tobacco industry and covers all forms of smoking. This is an EU-wide regulation. Each member state could adopt certain aspects of the TPD with regards to vaping. In the UK we were lucky to have one of the lightest TPD regulations in all of Europe. At the eleventh hour, vaping (e-cigarettes) was hastily added to the directive. The UK’s interpretation of the regulation is called the TRPR, Tobacco & Related Products Regulation. [1]

Many will argue that the most of the regulations imposed for vaping were ill thought out and nonsensical. Some of the main points, which will affect consumers, are:

· All eliquid must be registered with the MHRA and tested before given approval to sell to consumers
· E-liquid bottles must contain no more than 10ml of juice
· All tanks must be no more than 2ml capacity
· All vape products must carry warning labels similar to those found on cigarette packets – to inform the consumer that the product ‘may’ contain nicotine. This applies to not only the juice but the hardware (which doesn’t contain nicotine but the requirement still applies).
· Nicotine strength can be no more than 20mg

As you can see from the new packaging, products like vape tanks have a nicotine warning label under the new regulations despite not arriving with any nicotine included

Consumer Advice...

How will I be affected from Saturday 20th May 2017?

You will notice that you can only purchase nicotine containing E-Liquid in 10ml bottles that have been submitted through testing and compliance procedures with the new regulatory labels and packaging.

Will I still be able to vape my favourite juice?

This all depends on the Manufacturers of the E-Liquid and whether they have gone through the regulatory procedures. You may find that some E-Liquid brands or individual flavours will no longer be available, or may be available later in the year.

Will there be alternative options than the 10ml E-Liquid restriction?

There may be the option to purchase 'nicotine shots' that you can add to nicotine free e-liquid flavours. Nicotine free e-liquid does not fall through the TPD/TRPR regulations and can be sold in bottle sizes larger than 10ml.

Can I still use my old non-compliant products, like Tanks over 2ml? Will I still be able to buy coils for these products?

Yes. Coils are not affected by the TPD regulations.

Will these regulations kill the industry?

The regulations will not end the industry but you may notice some independent businesses closing.

Are there any positives from the TPD regulations?

The regulations are deemed unfair considering that studies have shown the use of E-Cigarettes to be less harmful than smoking [2] and also as a smoking cessation. However, it is important that if this industry is able to maintain long-term production then quality control is needed. The one benefit from these regulations will be the end of vendors selling cheap, unregulated and potentially harmful e-liquid.

References:
[1] https://www.gov.uk/guidance/e-cigarettes-regulations-for-consumer-products
[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/e-cigarettes-around-95-less-harmful-than-tobacco-estimates-landmark-review