Local MSP Highlights Action on Tobacco and Vaping as West Lothian sees Seizures of Illegal Vapes
Local MSP for the Linlithgow Constituency, Fiona Hyslop, highlights new measures to protect children and young people and reduce preventable deaths.
New proposed legislation will ban the sale of tobacco to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 and will allow for tougher measures on vaping.
The Scottish Government have already published proposals to ban the sale of single use vapes in Scotland using existing environmental powers.
Commenting Fiona said:
“Scotland has been a world leader on a range of tobacco control measures, and I am pleased to see this new proposed legislation which prioritises protecting children and young people from the harms associated with tobacco use and vaping.
“We are all aware that smoking is a huge burden on our health and social care services in Scotland and plays a large role in health inequalities across the country.
“The Scottish Government’s goal is to have a tobacco-free Scotland by 2034. This would significantly reduce the pressure on our health care services and improve the health of people across Scotland.
“It is particularly concerning that research suggests one in five young people have tried vaping and the powers in this Bill which would regulate displays, flavouring and marketing towards children are greatly needed.
“In my own Constituency, Trading Standards recently seized a number of vaping and tobacco products which were not registered with the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, meaning they have not gone through quality controls and could contain harmful chemicals or high levels of nicotine. This is particularly concerning and another reason that this legislation is needed.
“If passed by Westminster, with the consent of the Scottish Parliament, these powers will be used to improve the public health of Scotland.”
ENDS
Editors note
The UK-wide legislation, introduced in Parliament on Wednesday 20 March, will gradually increase the age of sale, making it an offence to sell tobacco products to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009. This means that children born on or after this date – those turning 15 this year and younger – will never be able to buy cigarettes.
Other powers in the Bill include; regulating displays, flavours and packaging of vapes and nicotine products, restrictions to target flavours marketed towards children, moving vapes out of sight of children and removing existing Scottish provisions which make it an offence for a person under 18 to purchase tobacco products.