The Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF) has raised concerns over plans to outlaw in-store displays of vaping promotions.
The trade body responded to the Scottish Government’s consultation on the advertising and promotion of vaping products.
It argued that the potential ban in Scottish shops would be irrational and hit disadvantaged communities hardest.
Measures proposed to tighten rules include a move that would outlaw in-store promotional displays of vapes and associated products.
The government is proposing that vaping products "should be positioned purely as a smoking cessation aid to help those currently smoking tobacco products switch to a less harmful alternative and gradually quit completely".
The consultation started in February and concluded at the end of April.
It suggested similar offences to tobacco, which could see shopkeepers that are found guilty potentially fined up to £1,000.
"For all other offences in respect of advertising and promotion we will be mirroring those set out in the 2016 Act, meaning the maximum penalty for a person found guilty is: on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months, or a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum, or both, or on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or a fine, or both," read the consultation.
SGF argued that the potential new policy would not just hit their members’ businesses hard, but hamper the drive to make Scotland smoke-free by 2034.
SGF head of public affairs Dr John Lee, said: “This consultation has been launched against a backdrop of concerns from a wide variety of stakeholders that Scotland - as with the rest of the UK - will not meet the aspiration of a tobacco-free generation by 2034.
“Indeed, Cancer Research UK has warned that this target could be missed by as much as 16 years if current trends continue, with the gap being wider in more disadvantaged communities.
“Within this context, it is simply not rational for the Scottish Government to consider restricting what is essentially a consumer-driven market for vaping products.”
The consultation closed on Thursday. SGF had encouraged its members to share their concerns, stating that to essentially remove vaping products from public view would effectively hide a less harmful alternative to smoking and proven way of helping people quit cigarettes.
Setting out the importance of the promotion of vapes in supporting the drive to make Scotland tobacco-free, SGF stated in its official response: “Advertising and promotion of vaping products can be seen as anti-smoking advertising.”
The trade body also highlighted Cancer Research UK projections which suggest the richest fifth of the country’s population could be smoke-free by 2034, but that the poorest fifth will not cross the 10% mark by 2050.
Meanwhile, Edinburgh-based VPZ has already helped more than 700k smokers in the UK quit since it was established in 2012.
VPZ has called for the Scottish Government to be "progressive" and "show bravery" to develop a timeline to ban smoking completely and meet its 2030 smoke free ambitions. The retailer insists that vaping is fundamental to meeting this target.
VPZ director Doug Mutter said: “As the UK’s leading vaping specialist, we are spearheading the fight against the nation’s number one killer – smoking.
“The recent rise in smoking rates is public health tragedy and we are currently set to miss our Smoke Free ambitions by at least two decades.
“Vaping will be fundamental to us reaching our 2030 smoke free targets and we are calling for a progressive plan for vaping that builds on the success of this transformative smoking cessation strategy.
“The current consultation on the promotion of vaping products brings this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity into sharper focus and we strongly believe that there should be advertising to promote and educate on the public health benefits of vaping.
“We have contributed positively to the current consultation and welcome meaningful engagement and dialogue with health policy makers to help shape a strategy that will transform the health of the nation.”
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