In recent weeks, George Herald has received complaints that vaping products are being sold to children 12 and older at George and Wilderness stores. GEORGE NEWS – Selling vaping products or e-cigarettes containing nicotine to people under the age of 18 is illegal in South Africa, but apparently there are vape and e-cigarette shops in George that don`t follow that law. “The fundamental thing to remember is that most e-liquids contain nicotine and vaping is designed for smokers who are looking for a less harmful alternative to cigarettes. Prematurely exposing young people to an addictive substance like nicotine is a mistake,” she said. Until then, writes Herman Eloff on News24, vaping in public spaces such as shopping malls and restaurants will be left to the discretion of owners (and also vapers), as there is nothing specific that regulates (or prohibits its use). However, the VPA anticipated the regulatory process by committing to self-regulation. “We have voluntarily committed not to sell the product to and from persons under the age of 18,” Kaleechurn told legal advice site GoLegal. The size of NRT`s market is estimated at €3.3 million. In South Africa, it is legal to buy nicotine without a prescription to use NRT. NRT is legal in the marketplace. You can buy NRT at the pharmacy.
A warning inside the packaging of a vaping product. “If you look at the majority of the vaping industry, it`s small businesses. and physical [retailers] in all sectors are no longer attractive, especially after Covid. So to get rid of [online vaping stores], it`s already killing a third of the industry,” Gcoyi said. The truth is that there are currently no specific regulations or laws regarding vaping – that is, where you are allowed to vape and who is allowed to vape. However, this could change in 2018, when a number of rules are due to be introduced. This shows that the government is paying attention to opponents of vaping and the possible risks of vaping. The sale and possession of nicotine-containing products to anyone under the age of 18 is illegal. Photo: Pexels.com South Africa`s Tobacco Control and Electronic Delivery Systems Bill also bans online retailers. While traditional tobacco products have already been banned from online sale and delivery, online retailers play an important role in the vaping industry.
The law prohibits the sale, delivery and distribution of “a relevant or related product to a consumer through postal services, courier services, the Internet or any other electronic means.” Kabir Kaleechurn, director of the South African Vaping Products Association (VPA), says the two smoking processes are different and should not be regulated in the same way. “Smoking relies on burning tobacco, the cause of all the health risks associated with smoking, while vaping relies on a gentle heating process to deliver nicotine.” So to get rid of [online vaping stores], it`s already killing a third of the industry. She says it was originally designed to help smokers kick the habit, but people who have never smoked before are now seen as recreational opportunities halfway between not smoking at all and regular cigarettes. Anti-smoking lobbyists want laws changed to regulate vaping more strictly. The executive director of the National Anti-Smoking Council, Savera Kalideen, told IOL late last year that while vaping should not be compared to cigarettes (which contain tobacco), it should be compared to itself, as it is also harmful. “We agree that An Act to amend the Tobacco Products Control Act should be amended because there is evidence that it is harmful. It is not covered by the law because there were no e-cigarettes or vaping when the law was passed. Either way, chances are you`ve seen someone take out their e-cigarette in public and certainly in smoke-free areas. Are they allowed to do so in this country, given that it still normalizes smoking and contains nicotine? Some will shout “No!” while vaping proponents will have their reasons for giving the green light to the public.
Most of us are not sure. Let us look at the current state of affairs. Plain packaging with limited branding and pictorial health warnings adorn vaping products and cigarette packages. Both product categories are not displayed in stores and are only provided at the request of the adult customer. Blow on e-cigarettes (also known as “vaping”) is a popular pastime and a way to quit smoking or reduce smoking for many South Africans and people around the world. “Such a perception is likely to deter many smokers who do not want to give up their nicotine addiction from considering vaping as an alternative source of nicotine, thus continuing their much more harmful dependence on combustible tobacco.” Since its introduction, vaping has become a popular alternative to smoking. As a new entrant to the scene, the rules of legal use are not as well known as with other products. So what is the legal age to vape in South Africa? And what other vaping laws should you know about? “The vaping industry as we know it in South Africa is completely destroyed,” Gcoyi told the Saturday Star. “The vaping industry has been surprised by the significant revisions that have been made since the law was first published in 2018. The health risks of vaping, which always involves inhaling nicotine, are uncertain and many (often contradictory) theories and research abound. Some may see it as a less harmful way to wean people off tobacco, while others still see it as a health addiction risk. Laws such as smoking or vaping in the private sphere in the presence of a child or non-smoker will be banned, and plain packaging with a limited brand will also appear on cigarette packages.
Johannesburg – The Vapour Products Association of South Africa (VPASA) fears South Africa`s steam industry could be decimated if the new tobacco law becomes law. The use of e-cigarettes is commonly referred to as vaping, derived from the word vaping. E-cigarettes come in different shapes, sizes, and colors. Battery-powered devices heat a liquid to release an aerosol (vapor) that is inhaled by the user. He added that banning the online sale, delivery and distribution of vaping products is harmful. “If you look at the majority of the vaping industry, small businesses and brick-and-mortar retailers are no longer attractive in any industry, especially after Covid. Gcoyi said they were not against stricter laws. All they want is for the vaping industry to be regulated.
Van Zyl-Smit said the rate of use among teens is different from what has been seen before, which is a key motivation for passing this law. The sale and possession of nicotine-containing products to anyone under the age of 18 is illegal, and the vaping industry has recently come under scrutiny amid a wave of underage vaping. “This paves the way for the government to ban the sale of flavored e-liquids. Such an approach could be totally detrimental to tobacco control. Flavours are what prevent smokers who have switched to vaping from smoking. In South Africa, the Vapour Products Association of South Africa (VPASA) launched the Youth Access Prevention campaign, targeting vaping retailers. Gcoyi says that while they welcome a new tobacco law, it was very important that vaping be regulated separately. “The insistence on classifying tobacco and vaping products under one roof makes them seem equally harmful to health. However, research conducted by renowned international organizations such as Public Health England, the Royal College of Physicians, the American Academy of Sciences and Cancer Research UK, etc.
shows that vaping is less harmful than smoking. When e-cigarettes are marketed as a therapeutic article, they are considered drugs and are therefore regulated as a Schedule 3 drug by the Drug Control Board. However, non-medical e-cigarette products are not currently regulated. There are plans proposed by the South African government and contested by stakeholders to implement a common legal framework for e-cigarettes and tobacco products that would be much stricter. The plans would restrict online sales and advertising, require plain packaging and age restrictions, and ban vaping in public places. Asanda Gcoyi, CEO of VPASA, said that if the law goes into effect, it could mark the end of the vaping industry in the country. The numbers are considerably higher than what we have seen with tobacco. The government is determined to make smoking harder in South Africa with its latest tobacco plan. The laws will include stricter regulations for e-cigarettes and vaping devices. “The bill still mixes vaping and smoking as if they were one and the same. Vaping requires a separate set of guidelines that recognize that it is not the same as smoking and therefore cannot be regulated in the same way. Currently, there are no laws on child vaping, as the law does not include provisions for the sale of vapes to persons under the age of 18.
E-cigarettes and vaping devices in South Africa are subject to stricter regulations under the government`s latest tobacco plan, which has been submitted to parliament. Popo Maja, a spokeswoman for the national health ministry, said there are plans to amend the legislation to include vaping, agreeing that while vaping is not quite the same as smoking cigarettes, it is not harmless. “Vaping is marketed as a `safe` alternative to smoking. Some vapors may be less harmful than smoking regular cigarettes, but the reality is that they are not harmless and contribute to the normalization of smoking behavior. Gcoyi said that while acknowledging that vaping is not completely risk-free, she says it contains only a small fraction of the risk of smoking.