Campaigns, Policy and Communications
Shortly after joining the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI), I conducted a survey of Trading Standards officers around the UK, gauging their opinions on the most pressing issues confronting them in their day-to-day work. This research uncovered vaping as one of the most serious areas of concern. And, having investigated some of the negative effects of vaping on people's health while at RSPH, this was a subject I was particularly interested in.
Initially, I focused on one of the most disturbing areas uncovered by Trading Standards officers - the use of vaping products by 'grooming gangs' to lure children and vulnerable young adults into sexual abuse. While this proved particularly controversial - with the Chief Exec of one of the bodies that later called for stiffer regulations around underage vaping, attempting to suppress the story prior to release (angrily stating that they considered any negative reporting of vaping to be a grave mistake) - the story helped establish CTSI as both a reliable authority on the subject and a credible source of consumer interest stories. Indeed, the follow-up stories - concerning the broader issues of widespread Underage Vaping and the sale of Unsafe and Unregulated Product - really captured both the public's and the Government's attention.
The result was unprecedented media coverage for CTSI, with the press office receiving hundreds of requests for comments and media interviews - to further illuminate the story and, ultimately, force legislative action. The UK Government subsequently released a set of proposals aimed at cracking down on the supply and sale of vapes (source: gov.uk) - while also announcing £3 million of additional funding, to help Trading Standards actively pursue offenders.