According to a survey, around 80% of Northern Ireland vape users do not get standard age verification at the time of purchase, which is much higher than the 45% in the UK. Retailers have been urged to strengthen identity verification to ensure vapes do not easily fall into the hands of minors.
According to the Irish News on October 25, a new survey shows that about 80% of vape users in Northern Ireland say that their age has never been verified by the standard. This proportion is the highest in Britain.
The survey, which involved 1,000 vape customers, aimed to find out how often they were subjected to standard age checks at the time of purchase and which retailers were not strictly following the rules. Data shows that 45% of vape users in the UK say they have never had their age verified by standards. Of these, Northern Ireland accounts for 80%.
According to the survey results, Belfast, Norwich, and Plymouth are the top three cities where no identification is required to buy vapes, while Newcastle, Southampton, and Birmingham are the cities where identification is most required. 48% of UK respondents said they had never had to provide age confirmation when buying vapes in a large shopping mall. This is followed by local vape shops and convenience stores.
According to Vape Superstore David Phillips, which commissioned the survey,
- “With the implementation of the Tobacco and vape Act, retailers must take more responsibility to ensure vape brands do not fall into the hands of children.” Our survey shows that, overall, vape customers support more stringent age verification, indicating that everyone believes protecting children in the process is a top priority. vapes are a tool to help adult smokers quit, not to encourage children to start using nicotine replacement therapy.”
