With the illegal vape trade rising on the back of the disposables ban, Scottish shopkeepers have called for the government to take tougher action on the deepening black market.
The Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF) fears that problems will worsen – with a negative impact on health – unless additional incoming regulations on the sale of vaping products are not carefully crafted.
Luke McGarty, SGF’s Head of Policy and Public Affairs, said: “There’s a growing issue of criminal gangs getting involved in black market activity, profiteering from illicit vaping products.
“There are no assurances about the safety of these – and they are getting into the hands of people they shouldn’t. This is harmful to businesses, communities and potentially the health of those buying vaping products illegally.
“Trading standards officers work hard. But greater investment is needed to give them the resources to track down those responsible for illicit sales and bring them to justice.
“Illegal tobacco sales already cost HM Revenue and Customs about £2.8bn. With the black market for single-use vapes that total’s surely going to soar.”
SGF has made its call for action as the UK Government’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill works its way through at Westminster, bringing increased regulation. The Scottish Government is expected to introduce secondary legislation on the back of it.
Store owners say the fine detail around the likes of vape flavour and store placement rules needs to be carefully considered to limit the potential for more new unintended criminal opportunities to emerge.
Guna Sud, whose family operates the RaceTrack convenience stores in Greater Glasgow, said: “Regulation and illicit trade are almost going hand-in-hand.
“Unless more is done about that, it’s just going to keep growing. Illicit trade was there before the ban and – from what we can see – it’s ten-times stronger after it.”
Crime across the board is one of the biggest issues affecting the retail sector.
SGF estimates that it costs Scotland’s convenience stores £100m-a-year – an average of £19,500 per shop.
Mohammed Rajak, who has run a convenience store in the East End of Glasgow for more than 30 years, said: “Illicit trade is getting more and more of a headache for retailers like me who comply with the regulations.
“Unfortunately, not enough rogue traders are being caught by trading standards. That’s because these teams are overwhelmed and under-resourced.
“This has impacted my business vastly. Unregulated rogue traders are selling to people who are underage – and the point of the ban was to take away single-use vapes and make them inaccessible to the age group it was not intended for.”
When SGF questioned its members on the impact of the disposables ban, three-quarters of respondents agreed that it has encouraged the sale and purchase of illicit products.
Shop bosses have told SGF that a cost increase and restrictions around flavours are the steps that they believe are most likely to encourage further illicit trade.
There is also concern among store chiefs that restricting flavours will prevent smoking cessation among those who wish to quit.
SGF, which has issued guidance to members to reinforce the law around vaping products, says it will work with the Scottish Government to ensure that future restrictions do not result in negative unintended impacts, including fuelling illicit trade and resulting in the verbal or physical abuse of staff.
Luke McGarty added: “We need to ensure that future restrictions – particularly those around vape flavours and store placement – do not make the situation worse.
“Vaping should be for adults who wish to quit smoking, and it is right that the government take strong action to stop non-smokers – particularly children – from accessing vapes. But we need to strike a balance that achieves both those aims.”
SGF has been working on sensible restrictions with policymakers in recent years, as part of its Healthier Choices, Healthier Communities campaign.
