30th October 2026
New restrictions take effect across the UK, banning sales of nicotine pouches and nicotine-free vapes to children, while also targeting promotional offers and sales through vending machines.
Young people will face tighter restrictions on buying vapes and nicotine products following new measures that came into force across the UK on 29 October 2026.
The changes form part of the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026, which received Royal Assent in April. The aim is to protect children from nicotine addiction, reduce the appeal of vaping to young people and close gaps in the law that previously allowed some products to be sold without the same age restrictions.
The legislation affects retailers, online sellers, adults buying products for young people and businesses using promotions to attract customers.
What has changed?
The most important change is that all vaping products are now restricted to people aged 18 and over, regardless of whether they contain nicotine.
Selling nicotine-containing vapes to under-18s was already illegal. However, the new rules close the gap for nicotine-free vaping products, which could previously be sold to children in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland already had age restrictions covering both nicotine and nicotine-free vapes.
The restrictions also cover a wider range of nicotine products, including nicotine pouches, dissolvable strips and pearls. These products can contain highly addictive nicotine despite not involving smoking or inhaling vapour.
The rules apply to online sales as well as purchases in shops. Retailers must take appropriate steps to check customers' ages.
The government estimates that more than one million children have tried vaping, with more than 370,000 vaping regularly. Ministers say the new measures are intended to prevent nicotine addiction becoming established at an early age.
Adults cannot buy products for children
The legislation also tackles what is known as proxy purchasing.
From 29 October, an adult aged 18 or over commits an offence if they buy, or attempt to buy, a vaping or nicotine product on behalf of someone under 18.
This means the rules do not simply place responsibility on shopkeepers to refuse sales. Adults who purchase products for children can also face enforcement action.
The change is intended to make it harder for young people to obtain products through older friends, relatives or other adults when retailers refuse to sell directly to them.
Promotions and vending machines face restrictions
The new law also targets the ways vaping and nicotine products are marketed and distributed.
Businesses can no longer give away these products for free as a promotion or use substantial discounts intended to promote sales. The restrictions cover coupons and promotional activity online as well as in shops.
Vending machines can no longer be used to sell or dispense vaping and nicotine products, removing another route through which young people might obtain them.
These measures are intended to reduce easy access and limit promotional tactics that could encourage experimentation.
The government argues that protecting children requires more than an age limit at the till. The way products are sold, advertised and presented can also influence whether young people become interested in trying them.
What does this mean for Scottish retailers?
For shops in Caithness and across Scotland, the changes mean reviewing age-checking procedures and ensuring staff understand which products are covered.
Scotland already had restrictions on the sale of vaping products to under-18s. The main extension is to nicotine products such as pouches, strips and pearls, as well as herbal smoking products.
Scotland is also expanding its retail registration requirements. Businesses selling nicotine or herbal smoking products must register under the updated arrangements, with a transition period running until 29 April 2027 before enforcement of the new registration requirements begins.
Local authorities will be responsible for enforcement, with Trading Standards playing an important role in tackling illegal sales.
A retailer selling covered products to an under-18 can face a fixed penalty notice of £200 in Scotland, although the precise enforcement action and potential court penalties depend on the circumstances. The government has also announced additional resources to strengthen enforcement against illegal and underage sales.
Retailers should consult the official guidance to check the detailed requirements rather than assume that existing procedures cover every new product.
Vaping is not the same as smoking
The government has been careful to distinguish between protecting children and helping adults who smoke.
Public health advice remains that vaping is less harmful than smoking and can help adult smokers quit, although it is not risk-free. Children and adults who do not smoke are advised not to vape.
The new law does not amount to a general ban on adults buying vapes. Instead, it strengthens age restrictions and limits certain promotional practices.
That distinction matters. Measures intended to prevent children from becoming addicted to nicotine should not inadvertently discourage adult smokers from seeking effective help to stop smoking.
More restrictions are on the way
The October changes are only one stage of a wider programme.
From 1 January 2027, the law will begin creating a smoke-free generation by making it illegal to sell tobacco products, herbal smoking products or cigarette papers to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009. The age restriction will rise progressively, meaning that those born from that date will never legally be sold tobacco.
A comprehensive ban on vaping and tobacco advertising and sponsorship is also planned for 1 June 2027. Further restrictions on packaging, flavour descriptions and product displays are being developed.
The broader objective is to reduce smoking and prevent nicotine addiction among future generations, while retaining access to vaping as a potential quitting aid for adult smokers.
Closing loopholes is only the first step
The new law establishes clearer rules, but its success will depend on enforcement and whether young people can still obtain products through illegal sellers or informal channels.
Retailers have a responsibility to follow the law, while parents, schools and health services also have a role in explaining the risks of nicotine addiction.
For Scotland, the challenge will be ensuring that the legislation makes a practical difference in communities as well as on paper. Stronger age restrictions may reduce access, but preventing young people from taking up vaping will also require education, consistent enforcement and attention to the reasons vaping has become attractive to some teenagers.
The message is straightforward: vapes and nicotine products are for adults, not children. The new law strengthens that principle, but its real test will be whether it changes behaviour and reduces youth nicotine use.