The Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026. Its provisions have been phased in through secondary legislation and guidance across the year, following the vaping products duty and duty stamps scheme on 1 October 2026. Government guidance confirming the detail of this next phase was published on 11 August 2026, and ASH, ASH Wales, ASH Northern Ireland and the Chartered Trading Standards Institute issued a joint reminder to retailers on 1 September 2026. The generational tobacco sale restriction, for anyone born on or after 1 January 2009, is still to follow on 1 January 2027.

John Herriman, Chief Executive of the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, said most responsible retailers already run strong age verification, so the new rules build on systems already in place, with trading standards offering advice and proportionate enforcement rather than treating every retailer as a deliberate lawbreaker.

From 29 October 2026, a strengthened UK wide offence covers buying, or attempting to buy, a vaping or nicotine product on behalf of someone under 18, known as proxy purchasing. Retailers must be satisfied a customer is 18 or over before completing a sale and may ask for ID. In Scotland, retailers must operate a formal age verification policy, extended from 29 October 2026 to nicotine products as well as vapes. We covered the full detail, including why shops remain the most common source young people report, in our earlier article on the age verification law.

The minimum age of sale of 18 is extended to cover products that previously sat in a grey area. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the old rule only applied to nicotine vapes, so zero nicotine vapes are newly covered alongside nicotine pouches, strips, pearls and synthetic nicotine products. Scotland already restricted both nicotine and non nicotine vapes and extends that same approach to nicotine products from the same date. Our dedicated article on nicotine pouches and zero nicotine vapes covers the background in full.

Giving away any vaping or nicotine product, or a coupon for one, becomes an offence where the purpose or effect is promotional, covering free samples, giveaways and promoted branded items such as chargers. Selling at a nominal sum, such as 10 pence, would likely count too. Ordinary discounting is unaffected, including clearing unsold stock or bulk and trade pricing, which is why our own discount collection is unaffected. The full distinction is set out in our article on the discount and free sample ban.

• Expect to be asked for ID more consistently, including on products not always checked closely before, such as zero nicotine e-liquids and nicotine pouches.
• Free samples and giveaway promotions will disappear from reputable retailers, online and in store. A genuinely good price is still allowed, so normal sale pricing and bulk deals are unaffected.
• Buying a vaping or nicotine product as an adult to hand to someone under 18 is proxy purchasing, carrying its own penalty separate from the retailer's own responsibility at the till.
• None of this makes vaping harder to access for the adults it is meant for, smokers looking for a less harmful alternative, or adult vapers maintaining a device they already own.

Hazel Cheeseman, Chief Executive of ASH, has described this phase as the first of a series of changes to how tobacco and nicotine products are sold, aimed at a smokefree UK and reduced youth vaping while keeping lower risk nicotine products available to adults stopping smoking. Suzanne Cass, Chief Executive of ASH Wales, has said retailers are essential to that goal by applying the rules consistently and reporting illegal sales.

• Brief every member of staff on the extended age checks before 29 October 2026, particularly for zero nicotine e-liquids and nicotine pouches.
• Remove any remaining free sample stock, promotional giveaways or nominal sum pricing from shelves and online listings.
• Review discount or loyalty promotions to confirm each is a genuine reduction rather than a disguised giveaway.
• Keep records of age verification checks and know how to report suspected proxy purchasing to trading standards.
• EcoSmok verifies the age of every customer before completing a sale, as set out on our Age Verification page, and our Youth & Underage Concerns page covers the wider picture for parents and carers.