The Vapour Products Association of South Africa (VPASA) has launched a hard-hitting youth access prevention campaign.

This entails manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers of e-cigarettes being held accountable and subjected to disciplinary action if vapour products are sold to youth younger than 18.

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VPASA is focused on self-regulating its members to protect the youth from accessing their products, while also securing the right of adult vapers to use their products if they are seeking a less-harmful alternative to combustible cigarettes.

‘We believe all e-cigarette role-players have a responsibility to prevent young people from accessing our products and, in the absence of applicable laws in South Africa, are taking it upon ourselves to self-regulate to achieve optimal outcomes for all,’ says Asanda Gcoyi, CEO of VPASA.

VPASA is opposed to the moves in South Africa to regulate vapour products alongside traditional cigarettes, as they argue that e-cigarettes are not the same as combustible tobacco products and therefore should not share the same legislative platform.

VPASA’s position is insisting that by removing e-cigarettes from the market, the government will be removing an option from millions of South African smokers who are seeking harm-reduced alternatives to cigarettes.

VPASA members have pledged to refuse all sales to under 18s through visual identification, and request identification if the retailer is in any doubt of the age of the purchaser. Products will also not be sold to anyone in school uniform.

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