As the UK's Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) launches its call for evidence on vaping policy, experts remind that science not perception—must guide vaping regulation to protect public health.
The UK’s tobacco control landscape is entering a critical new phase. As the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) launches its call for evidence on vaping policy, the Independent British Vape Trade Association (IBVTA) has welcomed the move as a long-overdue return to science-led regulation — and a timely reminder that public health progress must not be derailed by politics or populism.
The DHSC call, open until 3 December 2025, invites submissions on a range of technical issues including the licensing of vape and tobacco retail, safety of vape flavour ingredients, device functionality, and the MHRA’s vape product notification system. This process precedes the final passage of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, expected to receive Royal Assent next year, and will help shape the detailed secondary legislation that follows.
Crucially, this is not a public consultation, but a technical evidence-gathering exercise — a distinction that matters. Calls for evidence are designed to draw on specialist expertise, rather than general opinion. As the IBVTA notes, this ensures that policymaking is grounded in facts, not fear.
Beyond the headlines
The importance of evidence-based thinking was highlighted earlier this month, when a study by University College London and King’s College London made headlines suggesting that plain packaging could make vaping less appealing to youth.
While the findings were widely reported as justification for stricter packaging laws, the study’s own data revealed a more delicate situation. Researchers found that alongside reducing youth appeal, standardised packaging and limited flavour descriptors, also led to adults who smoke or vape finding such products less appealing — a potentially serious unintended consequence. Yet, much of the media coverage ignored this detail.
As the IBVTA noted in its response, “the majority of smokers already incorrectly believe that vaping is as harmful as smoking.” Further reducing product appeal through plain packaging could reinforce misconceptions and discourage switching — precisely the opposite of what public health policy should seek to achieve.
Balancing protection with progress
It’s within this context that the government’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill takes on even greater significance. While aiming to curb youth access and improve regulation, the Bill also proposes a mandatory retail licensing system for tobacco and vape sales. Other measures include stricter penalties for illegal underage sales, limits on advertising, and potential restrictions on product appearance — policies that must now be carefully shaped to avoid deepening public misunderstanding or diminishing access to safer alternatives..
Public health groups such as Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) have called the bill “a landmark opportunity” to accelerate the journey toward a smoke-free generation, while local authorities represented by the Local Government Association (LGA) have backed the idea of licensing as a practical tool for enforcement.
For the harm reduction community, the key challenge lies in balance — safeguarding young people without undermining adult access to regulated, lower-risk products. The IBVTA has consistently advocated for proportionate regulation, including an industry-wide Code of Conduct launched in 2023 that bans cartoon imagery and emotionally charged flavour names likely to appeal to children, while allowing adult-friendly descriptions that accurately reflect flavour profiles.
Can science still lead the way?
The DHSC’s evidence-gathering process offers an opportunity to recalibrate the UK’s approach — to base decisions on robust data rather than political expediency or media soundbites. This is especially crucial given the rapidly changing landscape.
The ban on single-use vapes came into force in mid-2025, removing products most associated with youth use. An excise duty on vaping products set to take effect in October 2026 will significantly raise prices, and licensing requirements will give enforcement agencies new tools to tackle rogue traders.
Taken together, these measures already represent one of the most comprehensive overhauls of nicotine product regulation in British history. But without careful calibration, the risk is clear: policies intended to protect youth could inadvertently drive adult smokers back to cigarettes, or worse, into the illicit market.
A call for evidence, and perspective
The IBVTA’s support for the DHSC initiative reflects a broader truth: sound public health policy must start with listening to evidence. Vaping has already helped millions of adults quit smoking, and according to the Office for National Statistics, the UK now has one of the lowest smoking rates in Europe — progress that must not be reversed by poorly designed regulation.
As the DHSC gathers evidence and Parliament debates the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, policymakers face a defining choice: follow the science and strengthen harm reduction, or yield to the noise and risk undoing a decade of lifesaving progress.