Why You Should Keep Your Vaping Legal After June 1st

On June 1st, the sale of single-use vaping devices in the UK will become illegal, with campaigners no doubt celebrating the demise of devices often associated with littering, the waste of plastic and lithium, plus the hope that it will make vaping less accessible to underage users.

Despite that, some people would no doubt want to see vaping banned altogether. Thankfully for all legal vapers, that won't happen. You can still get your vape juice from us, as well as reusable vaping devices, and keep on vaping.

However, despite this, there is a concern that June 1st could see a rise in unlawful vaping, which will be the opposite of what those behind the single-use vapes ban will want, considering a key issue has been the high level of illegal underage use.

Beware Two Kinds Of Illegal Vape Trading

This could occur if shops that still have some single-use vapes in stock cannot sell them all before the end of May and are caught doing so after the ban comes in. This will prompt legal responses varying from stop and compliance notices to fines of £200 per device.

However, some have claimed the new legislation may promote a more active black market in illicit vaping, with banned items still being freely traded but through underhand means. It won't be websites like ours or vape shops on the high street where they are supplied, but underground channels.

Among those making such a claim was co-founder of the UK Vaping Industry Association, Dan Marchant. He told Talking Retail the Roadmap To A Smokefree Country report, produced by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health, was too optimistic in its projections, not least because the single-use vapes ban might have unintended effects.

This included a risk that many people would be hesitant to use vapes as a smoking cessation tool due to the negative publicity vaping had had, but he also warned that the single-use ban will take away the “single most effective methods for smokers to switch to vaping”.

Pointing to statistics by Action on Smoking and Health that noted 31 per cent of vapers rely on single-use devices - around 1.5 million people - he said this group would be a big target for the illicit vapes market.

“The UK already has a thriving black market for illegal disposable vapes - the over-capacity, sometimes over-strength products,” he noted, stating that this market is almost as large as the legal market and predicting it will “boom” once the single-use ban comes in.

The Reality Of Illegal Vaping Now

This argument - that the UK faces the equivalent of the Speakeasies in the age of prohibition in the US - will not stop the ban, of course. The politicians have made their decisions and June 1st is set in stone. But is Mr Marchant right about the size of the illicit market - and how can you avoid it?

Recent news has shown there is indeed a very big illegal vape market. For instance, a recent raid on a single shop in Lincolnshire led to 4,800 illegal vapes being seized.

In Birmingham, the UK's largest local authority, a freedom of information request by private healthcare provider Midland Health found more than 42,000 illegal vapes were seized by the city council in 2024.

These are just a couple among many news stories of this type up and down the country, proving that there is indeed a large black market in illegal devices, even now when single-use devices are allowed.

Why You Should Keep It Legal

If you have relied on single-use vapes until now and would be willing to consider obtaining them illegally after June 1st, there are a few reasons why you should think again.

Firstly, there is the fact that many of these devices are already illegal due to them having more than the permitted volumes or strength of nicotine, which could make them hazardous to use and a major health risk. You cannot even be sure they contain everything you are told is in them.

Secondly, it is worth considering that many of the criminals you could buy illegal vapes from will also be involved in other criminal activity, including money laundering, human trafficking, or even helping to fund terrorism.

The good news is you can stay on the right side of the law easily enough. Yes, for many, that will mean adjusting from single-use vapes to reusables, but the fact that there is still nearly two months before the ban takes effect gives you time to try out reusable products, get used to using vape juice and rechargeable vape pens as you would your mobile phone.

None of this is hard to do, so check out our range today and see what you could be using after June 1st.

Written by: Matt H.