10th July 2026
Consultation on packaging, appearance and display of tobacco and vaping products.
Views are being sought on proposals aimed at restricting the appearance of tobacco, vaping and nicotine products and how they are packaged and displayed in shops in Scotland to make them less enticing to children and young people.
The consultation fulfils a 100-day Scottish Government commitment and builds on government action to reduce preventable deaths from smoking and introduce tougher measures on vaping, including the introduction of a ban on the sale of single-use vapes last year.
Public Health Minister Maree Todd said:
“Scotland has been a world-leader on a range of tobacco control measures, and while there has been a steady reduction in smoking rates, we know it still damages lives and kills more than 7,000 people a year in Scotland.
“The use of vapes has increased in recent years, particularly among children and young people – with almost one in five children saying they have tried vaping.
“We know that colourful packaging and displays are used as an enticement to children and young people, which is why we are taking action and consulting on options to address this issue.
"We urge everyone to have their say on how these products are marketed and sold in the future to help protect children and young people and reduce preventable harm in Scotland.”
Chief Medical Officer Gregor Smith said:
“This is a vital step to protect public health and support Scotland’s aim of a tobacco-free generation by 2034. Scotland’s ‘Tobacco and Vaping Framework and Population Health Framework’ place a strong emphasis on prevention and reducing the use of health-harming products, including tobacco and nicotine.
“Action on how these products are promoted is central to that aim, and the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 provides a strengthened legislative basis for action. This work will help reduce health harms, address health inequalities, and respond proportionately to emerging risks from vaping.”
Public Health Scotland Consultant in Public Health, Dr Garth Reid said:
“Public Health Scotland welcomes the Four Nations consultation on the packaging, appearance and display of tobacco and vaping products.
“We strongly support the ambition to reduce the appeal, accessibility and normalisation of products that cause significant harm to population health. The proposals represent a timely and evidence‑informed extension of existing tobacco control measures, and they align with Scotland’s goal of achieving a tobacco‑free generation.”
The consultation will run from 10 July 2026 for 12 weeks.
It follows passing of the UK-wide Tobacco and Vapes Act earlier this year, which made it an offence to sell tobacco products to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 and included new powers to regulate the displays, contents, flavours and retail packaging of vapes and nicotine products.
Smoking attributable hospital admissions and deaths
The Story So Far
There is now good evidence that vaping is not harmless and can damage health, but the evidence also suggests that regulated nicotine vapes are substantially less harmful than smoking tobacco cigarettes. The difficult part is that vaping has only become widespread in the last 10–15 years, so scientists do not yet have the same long-term data that they have for smoking.
What health problems have been linked to vaping?
Nicotine addiction: Most vapes contain nicotine, which is highly addictive. It can affect the developing brain in teenagers and young adults.
Smoking and Tobacco Use
Lung irritation and respiratory symptoms: Vaping can cause coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath in some users. The aerosol contains particles and chemicals that are inhaled into the lungs.
Smoking and Tobacco Use
Cardiovascular effects: Nicotine increases heart rate and blood pressure, and researchers are investigating possible longer-term effects on the heart and blood vessels.
hopkinsmedicine.org
Exposure to potentially harmful substances: Vape aerosols may contain chemicals such as aldehydes, metals and other compounds, although generally at much lower levels than cigarette smoke.
Smoking and Tobacco Use
Unknown long-term risks: Because vaping is relatively new, scientists cannot yet say with certainty what the risks will be after 30 or 40 years of regular use.
Is vaping as dangerous as smoking?
Current evidence says no.
Major reviews by UK public health bodies and the Royal College of Physicians conclude that, for adults who already smoke, switching completely from cigarettes to vaping is likely to greatly reduce exposure to the toxins that cause cancer, heart disease and lung disease.
However:
Vaping is not risk-free.
Non-smokers are not advised to start vaping.
Young people should avoid nicotine products altogether.
Smoking and Tobacco Use
Have people died from vaping?
Yes, there have been deaths associated with vaping, but the picture is more complicated than simply counting all vape users who died.
The major U.S. outbreak (EVALI)
In 2019–2020, the United States experienced an outbreak of severe lung injury called EVALI (E-cigarette or Vaping Product Use-Associated Lung Injury).
The CDC recorded 2,807 hospitalised cases or deaths, including 68 confirmed deaths.
Investigations found that most cases were linked to illicit THC (cannabis) vaping products contaminated with vitamin E acetate, rather than standard regulated nicotine e-cigarettes.
What about the UK?
The UK did not experience a similar nationwide outbreak.
UK authorities have stated that the U.S. cluster of lung injuries was not attributable to the regulated nicotine vaping products sold in England.
There have been isolated reports of serious illness and some deaths where vaping was involved, but there is no evidence of large numbers of deaths caused by legal nicotine vapes comparable to the mortality from smoking.
To put the numbers in perspective:
Smoking tobacco kills millions of people worldwide every year, including around 80,000 people annually in the UK.
No comparable death toll has been demonstrated for regulated nicotine vaping products.
Public health experts generally view vaping as a harm-reduction tool for smokers rather than a harmless recreational product.
A balanced conclusion
There is evidence that vaping can harm health and should not be considered safe.
There have been documented deaths associated with vaping, particularly during the 2019 U.S. EVALI outbreak (68 confirmed deaths).
The strongest evidence indicates that regulated nicotine vapes are substantially less harmful than smoking cigarettes, though not harmless.
Because vaping is relatively new, researchers are still studying its long-term effects, and the final health picture will become clearer over the coming decades.
For someone in a rural Scottish community like Caithness, the practical public-health message used by the NHS is usually: if you don't smoke, don't start vaping; if you do smoke, completely switching from cigarettes to a regulated vape is likely to be a less harmful option.
Chemicals typically found in vapes
The exact chemicals vary by manufacturer and flavour, but most regulated nicotine vapes contain four main ingredients, plus flavourings and small amounts of other substances.
The main ingredients
1. Propylene Glycol (PG)
This is a colourless liquid used in many foods, medicines and asthma inhalers.
It:
Carries flavours well.
Produces the "throat hit" that many smokers expect.
Can cause throat dryness or irritation in some people.
2. Vegetable Glycerine (VG)
Also called glycerol, this is a thicker liquid made from vegetable oils.
It:
Produces the visible vapour cloud.
Has a slightly sweet taste.
Is widely used in foods and cosmetics.
Most vape liquids are a mixture of PG and VG in different proportions.
3. Nicotine (optional)
Not every vape contains nicotine, but many do.
Typical strengths include:
0 mg/ml (nicotine-free)
5 mg/ml
10 mg/ml
20 mg/ml (the legal maximum for most nicotine vape liquids in the UK)
Nicotine itself is:
Highly addictive.
Raises heart rate and blood pressure.
Toxic in large quantities if swallowed, especially by children.
4. Flavourings
Manufacturers use food-grade flavourings to create hundreds of flavours such as:
Tobacco
Menthol
Mint
Fruit
Vanilla
Desserts
While these flavourings are generally considered safe to eat, they are not automatically proven to be safe to inhale after heating.
Chemicals produced when the liquid is heated
When the heating coil reaches high temperatures, some of the liquid breaks down into other chemicals.
These can include:
Formaldehyde – a known carcinogen at sufficiently high exposures.
Acetaldehyde – another potentially harmful aldehyde.
Acrolein – can irritate the lungs and airways.
Regulated vapes usually produce much lower amounts of these chemicals than cigarette smoke, but the amount can increase if a device overheats or is used improperly.
Metals
Small amounts of metals can enter the aerosol from the heating coil, including:
Nickel
Chromium
Lead
Tin
The levels vary depending on the design and condition of the device.
Tiny particles
Vape aerosol also contains very fine particles that can reach deep into the lungs. Scientists are still studying the long-term effects of repeated exposure.
Chemicals of concern in illegal or counterfeit vapes
One reason health authorities warn against illicit products is that they may contain substances that should not be there, such as:
Excessively high nicotine levels
Unknown solvents
Contaminants
Heavy metals
Vitamin E acetate (which was strongly linked to the 2019 U.S. EVALI outbreak in illicit THC vaping products)
Synthetic cannabinoids or other drugs
These products can be substantially more hazardous than regulated nicotine vapes.
How does this compare with cigarettes?
A burning cigarette produces smoke containing more than 7,000 chemicals, including around 70 chemicals known to cause cancer, along with high levels of carbon monoxide and tar. By contrast, regulated nicotine vapes generally expose users to far fewer and much lower levels of toxic chemicals, although they are not risk-free.
In summary, a typical UK-regulated vape mainly contains:
Propylene glycol
Vegetable glycerine
Nicotine (unless nicotine-free)
Flavourings
During use, it can also generate small amounts of aldehydes (such as formaldehyde and acrolein), tiny particles, and trace metals from the heating coil. Scientists continue to study the health effects of inhaling these substances over many years.