With the huge number of different disposable vape brands on the market (and the sheer amount of different shops that are stocking them), it’s easy to get drawn into the marketing of bigger capacity and stronger nicotine strength but why should this bother you?

Since May 2016, the UK has been following the TPD (Tobacco Products Directive) which sets out a framework of rules and regulations for all vaping products that must be followed.

The basic rules of the TPD are as follows:

All products that contain (or can be used to contain) nicotine must undergo a full testing and notification process with the MHRA before they can be offered on sale.

Nicotine containing e liquids cannot exceed 10ml in size

Any product containing nicotine cannot exceed 20mg in strength

Any tank or pod that can be filled with nicotine e liquid cannot exceed 2ml in size.

For most people, this information may seem like a lot of jargon but identifying legal products may be more beneficial than you think.

Let’s take disposable vapes for example.

The UK legal Geek Vape Geek Bar contains 2ml of 20mg nicotine salt, which lasts on average 575-600 puffs.

The Geek Bar Pro is a perfect example of an illegal product as they contain 4.5mg of 50mg nicotine salt, which lasts on average 1500 puffs.

While this may seem like a great buy, however the Geek Bar Pro has not gone through any of the testing and notification processes with the MHRA. This may not seem like a big thing, but this testing process is how you can be sure that the products are not harmful and do not contain any harmful ingredients (similar to what happened in the USA with the THC vape pens and vitamin E acetate).

With the higher nicotine content too, this can make UK vapes feel very sick very quickly due to nicotine poisoning. This is something that is very easy to feel sick with if you are not used to such a high nicotine content and are not careful when using the product.

Finally, when people are purchasing these illegal products they are harming all of the reputable vendors that follow the rules and regulations so they are around for the long term. Black market vendors are purchasing these illegal products to make quick money then disappear – possibly leaving hundreds of people out of pocket for missing and unfulfilled orders (and not even considering the possibility of device warranties if there are any issues)

This doesn’t just apply to the Geek Bars products we’ve mentioned above, there are many different disposable vape products that are outside of the legal regulations – as there is no responsibility to notify them to the MHRA or do any testing you do not know if they are authentic devices created for sale to another market other than the UK or if they are cheap knockoff disposable vapes that have been filled in someone’s bedroom with home brew e liquid that you don’t know the quality of.

Like any vape products, make sure you are purchasing your devices from a responsible vendor who will do everything in their power to make sure you are receiving a legal, authentic and high quality product. These vendors are the lifeblood of the industry and without them it would simply turn into a wild west before the regulations came into force.