Reacting to news that a vape shop has opened next to the 120 year old Mackintosh Tearooms in Glasgow, Professor Grant McIntyre, Dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery and Vice President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) said:
“This opening is another reminder of the need to tighten the regulation and licensing of vape shops in Scotland."
“Whilst shops must register on the national tobacco and vape register, it has been noted that there is no way of removing shops from this register and that trading standards do not have the capacity to keep up with the number of vape shops. This lack of licensing framework leads to an increased risk for the health of the Scottish population and threatens to undermine the work being done to ensure the young population can become tobacco-free."
“We wholeheartedly support the Scottish Government’s work to ensure a tobacco-free generation by 2034 as well as recent changes such as requiring signage to displaying the new amended age of sale."
“However, we believe the Tobacco and Vaping Framework must be updated to include a licensing framework as part of the 2026-2028 plan, so I will be writing to both the Scottish Government and COSLA to press for further restrictions.”