ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE LAWS ARE CHANGING, HOW WILL THEY EFFECT YOU?
You may or may not have heard that the E-Cigarette Industry will be going through some very big changes over the next 2 years. And it's all because of the TPD.
So if you keep hearing about the TPD and want to know what it is check out our guide on everything you need to know!
WHAT IS THE TPD?
On April 3, 2014, the European Parliament passed DIRECTIVE 2014/40/EU also known as The Tobacco Products Directive (TPD). Generally speaking, this Directive covers how tobacco and related products are manufactured, marketed and sold within the EU.
The TPD is a great initiative as it further continues to increase restrictions on tobacco products including cigarettes. The TPD sets restrictions on the amount of tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide that is allowed in a cigarette. It also re-enforces restrictions on how cigarettes and other tobacco products are marketed and sold.
Frankly, the more regulation on cigarettes the better, as we all know how bad they are.
However the TPD also classes e-cigarettes in the same category as cigarettes, which isn't as good!
Again, we believe these regulations are a good thing for so many reasons. At present, there are a lot of brands and products that use untested ingredients or do not comply with the basic standards that have been set out to protect consumers. Without any regulations, these sub-standard and untested products could still be sold under the guise of being a “healthier alternative” but may in fact be doing more harm than good.
The following points outline the new Regulations for E-Cigarettes, SMOKO and most importantly, how this will affect you!
- Submit a stack of paperwork to the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority) outlining:
- List of all of our ingredients and emissions from the use of SMOKO
- Toxicology data regarding the ingredients and emissions when heated
- Information on nicotine doses when consumed normally and responsibly
- Description of the production process and product components
- Stacks of reports from our side
- Bottles of E-Liquid can only be sold in 10ml bottles or 2ml per cartridge – our E-Cigarette Refills and our E-Liquid bottles already comply!
- A maximum of 20mg/2.0% nicotine in any products – we have already started to introduce our new 2.0% Bold range of flavours which will supersede our 2.4% range. We will continue to maintain wide range of flavours and nicotine strengths to suit your needs.
- E-Liquids cannot contain any restricted additives like caffeine or taurine – our Coffee flavour will still be available but just without the extra caffeine kick.
- E-Cigarettes deliver nicotine in consistent doses – SMOKO E-Cigarettes already do this! However, for those of you who use high-powered and variable voltage vapourizers, these could be banned.
- Refills and E-Liquids packaging are child-proof and tamper-proof – all of our packaging already is!
- New Packaging will now have to include:
- Instruction manuals on use and storage of product, health warnings, reference outlining the product is not recommended for use by young people
- List of all ingredients
- Batch numbers – to help track any issues to a specific production batch – this is something we have been doing for the last 2 years.
- The following health warning to cover 30% of all our packaging – “This product contains nicotine which is a highly addictive substance. It is not recommended for use by non-smokers”. So our beautiful packaging will have to change, but we will try to retain its appeal!
- Ban on all TV, Radio and Print advertising
- E-Cigarettes are not to be sold to people under 18 years old – that is great as this have been our company policy since we started! Whereas many other companies have actively sold to e-cigarettes to minors and people under the age of 18.
- Timing – all existing products that are currently being sold prior to May 20 2016 must submit their documentation within 6 months following the deadline. Any new products released after May 21 2016 must submit their documentation 6 months before they are sold!
NO NEED TO WORRY ABOUT THE TPD
All of SMOKO’s product range is currently being sold so there will be no issue with continued supply!
So that’s the TPD in a nutshell and how it will affect SMOKO customers.
For all of our customers, rest assured as the majority of these things will be happening in the background while you still enjoy your SMOKO products. The biggest change will be the reduction of our 2.4% Range to the 2.0% Range. Everything else will be us filling in lots of paperwork and forms and some cosmetic changes to our packages.
For the industry, it will ensure that ALL e-cigarettes and e-liquids are TESTED! This is so important as there are a lot of products being sold without the proper testing and understanding of the ingredients.
For people using the big vapourizers – unfortunately the changes proposed in the TPD are going to hit you the hardest. Variable voltage batteries and large tanks will not comply with the new regulations and will most likely be banned.
The good news however, is that you can get sufficient amount of vapour from our SMOKO E-Cigarettes when you use it correctly. So you will still be able to enjoy your vape with one of the leading brands in the UK.
If you wish to speak to one of our specialists regarding any of the above information please do not hesitate to contact us.
