UAE: Vapes should never be sold to teens, experts warn

Dubai - Some kids have been found to be buying vaping products online.

Vape sellers and traders in the UAE must do more to make sure electronic cigarettes are not sold to minors, top industry experts and doctors have said.

Retailers and enthusiasts told Khaleej Times that with a rapidly growing vaping industry, the sale of counterfeit and unregulated products to users under-21 has become rampant across the region.

Most legitimate retailers in the UAE have a clear policy not to sell vaping products to a customer until a government-issued identification document is provided.

“However, kids are getting creative. We’ve had instances where a child orders a product online, and during delivery, it is collected by either an older sibling or a household worker,” said Hisham Al Shabib, CEO of the Bahrain-based Sams Vape.

“We can only exercise so much caution, but the parents need to keep a watchful eye on their child’s online shopping behaviour,” he added.

At another popular store, My Vapery, IDs are mandatory.

“When people come to buy from our shops, we ask for IDs. If we feel that they are underage, we make it mandatory that they show their IDs, no matter how much they demand the product,” said Atif Amin, My Vapery’s marketing manager.

“We are cautious to guard against underage sales at locations where young people gather in large numbers, like Dubai’s Jumeirah Beach Residence and Kite Beach,” he added.

“It is vital that we work together closely to prevent e-cigarettes from being sold to underage consumers.”