The Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee will conclude its work this Parliament in March 2026 ahead of the next Scottish Parliament election. So the Committee has time to complete its work, it has agreed not to consider petitions submitted after 10 October.
The Committee will continue to meet but given the volume of petitions and agreed work programme it is unlikely that the Committee would be able to meaningfully progress work on petitions submitted after 10 October ahead of the election. Petitions lodged after this date will not fall when the Parliament is dissolved and will be for the successor committee to consider in the new session.
If you are seeking urgent action or policy change please contact one of your 8 MSPs or the Scottish Government directly.
Closed petition PE2066: Treat vapes and e-cigarettes like cigarettes and tobacco
Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to treat vapes and e-cigarettes the same as tobacco and cigarettes by:
- banning the brightly coloured packaging and contents and/or removing these devices from public display so they are only available from behind the customer service counter
- preventing "special offers" which promote the sale of multiple units for a cheaper price.
Previous action taken
I previously contacted the Scottish Government and received correspondence the Healthy Living Unit, which acknowledged that vapes and e-cigarettes contain highly addictive nicotine.
Background information
In 2010, legislation was passed to prohibit the display of tobacco and smoking related products, and to protect children from eye-catching, colourful displays. This ban came into full effect in April 2015.
In 2020, the sale of menthol cigarettes was banned in the UK to prevent young people from smoking as it was shown that the menthol flavour masked the harshness of the smoke.
The 2018 Tobacco Action Plan aims to create a tobacco free generation by 2034, but what about the highly addictive nicotine?
The Scottish Government ran a consultation in 2022 seeking views on tightening the rules on advertising and promoting vaping products.
If vapes and e-cigarettes are to be sold as a cessation tool, then make them tobacco flavoured as opposed to every colour and flavour of a sweet shop. These devices are displayed on brightly lit billboards at shop entrances, all over shop floors, and often with promotional prices encouraging multiple unit sales.
This petition was considered by the Scottish Parliament
56 signatures