# Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026, Section 84: Free distribution and discount of products

Extent: N.I.

After Article 4K of the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1978 (S.I. 1978/1907 (N.I. 26)) (inserted by section 83) insert—
“Free distribution and discounts
Free distribution and discounts of products
4L (1) A person commits an offence if—
(a) the person—
(i) gives away a product or coupon to a member of the public or sells a product or coupon at a substantial discount, or
(ii) causes or permits that to happen, and
(b) either—
(i) their purpose in doing so is to promote a relevant product, or
(ii) the effect of their doing so will be to promote a relevant product and they know, or have reason to suspect, that will be the effect.
(2) In paragraph (1) “relevant product” means—
(a) a tobacco product,
(b) a herbal smoking product,
(c) cigarette papers,
(d) a vaping product, or
(e) a nicotine product.
(3) Where a person is charged with an offence under this Article of giving away a vaping product or nicotine product, or a coupon for such a product, it is a defence for the person to prove that the product or coupon was given away in accordance with arrangements made by a public authority.
(4) A person guilty of an offence under this Article is liable—
(a) on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months, or a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum, or both;
(b) on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years, or a fine, or both.
(5) In this Article “coupon” means anything (whether in physical or electronic form) which, by itself or together with something else, can be redeemed for a product or service or for cash or any other benefit.”

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2026/18/section/84 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/tobacco-and-vapes-act-2026/section-84
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.