Law banning under-18s enter Guernsey vape shops labelled 'hypocritical'

A Guernsey business wants to meet with Health and Social Care before next week's new law bans under-18s from entering vape shops unaccompanied.

In May 2024, the States approved new laws because of growing concern about young people vaping.

These changes have been introduced gradually.

From 1 June 2025, it became illegal to sell or give vapes to anyone under 18.

From 31 January 2026, disposable vapes were banned from being imported or sold anywhere in the Bailiwick.

The latest rules will take effect on Tuesday, 31 March '26. These require vape shops to block advertising and stop under-18s from entering.

The Vape Bar, one of only two vape shops in Guernsey, has strongly criticised the latter rule, saying it will unfairly affect single parents without access to childcare, meaning they are unable to enter the shop with their children.

Although more than 1,300 people signed a petition against the move, Health and Social Care says its 'decision on this matter is final' and that medical evidence sees vaping as an aid to smoking cessation.

Shop assistant Sophie Dorfner says they will continue to fight the rule, calling it hypocritical.

"These same parents can go into any other shop on the island, where they can freely purchase vapes, along with tobacco products, cigarettes and a large abundance of alcohol, which is clearly in view.

"And they can do all of this with their child in tow, but they're being banned from popping into our shop.

"I don't see how, in this day and age, that's fair, to tell a parent where they can and cannot take their child.

"Surely it should be up to the parent to risk assess whether or not it's appropriate to bring their children into a shop with them.

"And then you've got places like Quitline that give out a free vaping kit to anybody who wishes to stop smoking, and they are actually based at the hospital, only a few yards away from the people that have made this decision.

"We've got doctors who refer people to us. We've had regular customers who have come to us for over a decade, who have actually seen huge health improvements from swapping from tobacco to vaping."

The team believes that when these rules take effect, the two specialist vape shops in Guernsey may be the only ones in the EU where under-18s are legally banned from entering, rather than it being a shop’s own policy.

Sophie adds that communication with the States has been 'slow and poor'.

The family that runs The Vape Bar would like an in-person meeting with Health and Social Care.

The Vape Bar has a children's play area to entertain youngeters while parents shop.