Member

In this group, therefore, I commend Amendment 17 in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Moylan, because although I am not usually one for creating new criminal offences, I think there is something to be said for tackling this issue of counterfeit nicotine production and sales. Making a specific offence would tackle one of the thorny issues that rumbled under our Committee deliberations and throughout the first group that we discussed today on Report, which is that an unintended consequence of this legislation is the potential for the growth of a black market in tobacco and vapes. Even though the noble Lord, Lord Moylan, rightly said that this criminal law could stand regardless of the Bill, I think the Bill gives an added impetus to it.