Member

When we have this conversation, statistics are used all the time. There is a world in which we have official statistics and official data about this. There is also another world, in which lots of people live, where you can buy your tobacco and vapes cheap, illegally, in local shops, and that does not seem to be reflected in the figures. The polling company Opinium did a big poll of 6,000 adult vapers in December. Of the people interviewed, 27% of adults were aware of illegal vape sales in their local area, 29% of current vapers have knowingly purchased illegal vapes and 9% of daily vapers admit purchasing illegal single-use vapes, post the ban on them. Among the people asked, consumer confidence in the legality of vapes when purchasing from retailers varies significantly depending on where you live. “Depending on where you live” is a code for saying working-class areas versus other areas. As the majority of people are working class in this country, in certain areas you will be more likely to be able to buy cheap tobacco and vapes in shops where there is no clamp-down.