The UK government has opened a 12-week consultation on proposals to mandate plain packaging for vapes, restricting device colours to white, black, or grey, limiting flavour descriptions, and requiring products to be kept out of sight in retail settings.
The move follows data showing that nearly one in five 11- to 17-year-olds in Britain have tried vaping, according to a poll commissioned by Action on Smoking and Health. Researchers at UCL and King's College London found that standardised packaging reduced young people's interest in trying vapes from 53% to 38%, suggesting that visual branding significantly influences youth appeal.
The consultation will gather responses through the autumn before ministers decide whether to advance the restrictions into law.