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 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 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 evidenceinformed extension of existing tobacco control
measures, and they align with Scotland's goal of achieving a
tobaccofree generation.
Background:
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 - Scotland 2024 - Smoking attributable
hospital admissions and deaths - Publications - Public Health
Scotland
Key findings - Vaping and
smoking among Scottish adolescents: ASH SmokeFree GB Youth survey
2025 results - gov.scot
