UK extends under-18 sales ban to nicotine-free vapes and other nicotine products
New UK-wide rules also restrict promotional offers, vending machines and adults buying vapes or nicotine products for children.
The UK Department of Health and Social Care says restrictions on selling nicotine-free vapes and other nicotine products to under-18s took effect across the UK on 29 October 2026. According to the department's announcement on GOV.UK, the change expands existing age-of-sales rules and is accompanied by limits on promotions and vending-machine sales.
According to the department, selling nicotine-containing vapes to under-18s was already illegal. The expanded rules cover nicotine-free vapes and products including nicotine pouches, strips and pearls. Adults aged 18 or over also commit an offence if they buy, or attempt to buy, a vape or nicotine product for someone under 18.
What changes for shops and buyers
The department says the measures prohibit promotional giveaways and substantial discounts in shops and online. Vending machines that sell or dispense vapes or nicotine products are also banned. Local authority stop-smoking services may continue supplying products to help adult smokers quit.
Trading Standards will lead retail enforcement in England, backed by new powers to issue £200 fixed penalty notices, the department says. It says enforcement agencies are receiving up to £30 million a year until 2028/29, including up to £10 million annually for Trading Standards and recruitment of 120 specialist apprentices to tackle illicit and underage tobacco and vape sales.
How the rules apply in Scotland
In Scotland, The Standard reported that the restrictions also cover herbal products that can be smoked. Its report says retailers selling nicotine products must hold valid registration by 29 April 2027. It attributed to the Scottish Government the claim that this would make Scotland the only UK nation to know where such products are sold.
Scottish Public Health Minister Maree Todd said the ban was intended to protect young people from nicotine addiction as pouches gain popularity. The Standard reported Scotland's chief medical officer, Gregor Smith, saying nicotine dependence can cause withdrawal symptoms including difficulty concentrating and insomnia.
Why the government is extending the ban
The department estimates that more than one million children have tried vaping and more than 370,000 vape regularly. The measures are part of the phased implementation of the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026, which became law on 29 April 2026, it says.
Further measures are scheduled separately. The department says a tobacco-sales restriction for people born on or after 1 January 2009 is due to start on 1 January 2027. It intends a comprehensive advertising and sponsorship ban to take effect from 1 June 2027. Proposals on packaging, flavours, displays and smoke-free or vape-free places remain under consideration.
Read in depth: Politics
Quebec premier says he will boycott Canada-EU summit in Montreal
Paul St-Pierre Plamondon says Quebec was shut out of the talks and warns that agreements affecting provincial powers may not be implemented there.
California billionaire tax vote draws record campaign spending
Proposition 40 would impose a one-time 5% tax on billionaires’ net worth. A new analysis finds record spending by current and former California billionaires ahead of the 3...
Sources and context
- Under-18 sales ban extended to nicotine products and all vapesDepartment of Health and Social Care (GOV.UK)
- Sale of nicotine products to under-18s banned in ScotlandThe Standard (Ryan McDougall; article identifies PA Wire for a photo, not as the reporting origin)
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.