Crowned Heads is set to enter the U.K. market for the first time through a new distribution agreement with Barkers of Harrogate, according to Halfwheel. The Nashville-based cigar company has not yet begun shipments or confirmed a retail launch timeline, but the partnership marks a strategic expansion into a key international market. Barkers, an established distributor representing brands such as Gurkha and Macanudo, will handle distribution, aligning with Crowned Heads’ push to grow its global footprint in the premium cigar segment.
Tag: U.K.
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U.K. Investigating Vaping Effects on Children
Today, Britain’s government announced the launch of a decade-long study that will investigate the long-term effects of vaping on children as young as 8. The government has been cracking down on the rapid rise of vaping among children, with estimates showing a quarter of 11- to 15-year-olds have tried it.
“The long-term health impacts of youth vaping are not fully known, and this comprehensive approach will provide the most detailed picture yet,” the health department said.
The £62 million ($78.1 million) study will track 100,000 people aged 8-18 years for 10 years, collecting data on behavior and biology as well as health records, the statement said. The World Health Organization has urged governments to treat e-cigarettes similarly to tobacco, warning of their health impact and potential to drive nicotine addiction among non-smokers, especially children and young people.
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U.K. Nearing Generational Ban
The United Kingdom is poised to implement a generational tobacco ban this year, which would make it the only nation in the world to have such legislation at the national level. The proposal would make it illegal for anyone born after January 1, 2009 to buy tobacco products.
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill was originally introduced in 2023 but made little progress until it was revived in November 2024. In the first vote in Parliament’s House of Commons, members of Parliament voted 415 to 47 in favor of the bill, which currently sits in the Commons committee stage and is set to be voted on again in the House of Commons later this month. Additional committee sittings are scheduled until then, with the intent of concluding the proceedings by January 30. The bill would then return to the House of Commons, and with a favorable vote would move to the House of Lords.
As this proposal was introduced by the Conservative Party and later reintroduced by the Labour Party, there is little political resistance to stop it. There is fleeting hope that some of the language will change down the road, but as for now, the wording is a generic, wide-ranging categorization of tobacco products, which lumps all products containing nicotine together, including cigars.
“The big problem for us is that, from our view, this has been such an undemocratic, uninformed piece of legislation,” said Eddie Sahakian, who runs London’s renowned Davidoff cigar store. “We would have understood if the normal forms of consultation had taken place, if all stakeholders were consulted and opinions were taken.
“Our preferred outcome here is that there is a carve-out for handmade, premium cigars.”
Writing for Cigar Aficionado, Garrett Rutledge said, “The next month will be critical. Every possibility theoretically remains on the table, although all signs continue to strongly point to the ban proposal becoming law this year.
“If a nation like the United Kingdom were to implement such a law, it’s a near certainty that many others around the world would soon attempt to follow suit. New Zealand kicked things off in 2023, despite the legislation eventually being repealed. And recently, state and local governing bodies in the United States have begun proposing, and implementing, their own generational bans. Given the continued trend, it appears this is only just the beginning.”
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Northern Ireland to Adopt Generational Ban
Stormont (Credit: Vivacity Images) Northern Ireland will participate in the U.K. generational tobacco ban.
The U.K. Tobacco and Vapes Bill aims to phase out the sale of cigarettes. It would make it illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 2009, after they turn 18.
It would also provide powers to address vaping among young people. The bill is part of the U.K. government’s plan for a “smoke-free generation,” according to the BBC.
The Northern Ireland Assembly endorsed a legislative consent motion on May 21 to allow the bill to apply to Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland Health Minister Robin Swann said the bill aims to “stop people from ever starting to smoke, thus preventing a lifetime of addiction.” He dismissed arguments that the legislation is “nanny statism” and would deny people “freedom of choice.”
On vapes, he said the bill includes regulation-making powers to allow for future restrictions on vape flavors, packaging and point-of-sale displays. The bill is progressing through Parliament despite opposition from several leading Tory figures.
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U.K. Government Draws Fire for Support of Juul
Image: Tobacco Reporter archive The government in the United Kingdom has been criticized for its “completely inappropriate” endorsement of Juul vaping products, according to The Guardian. Many organizations blame the manufacturer for fueling an “epidemic” of underage vaping in the U.S.
Juul Labs was lauded for its underage vaping prevention efforts in an official briefing circulated by the Department of Health and Social Care about the prime minister’s plan to close a loophole allowing free samples to be given to children, according to media reports.
The press release—which included quotes from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, England’s chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, and Health Minister Neil O’Brien—portrayed the company as a leader in combating youth vaping, saying it “takes steps to ensure its products do not appeal to and are not used by anyone who is underage and encourages others in the sector to do the same.”
It also included a quote from Joe Murillo, a former tobacco executive and chief regulatory officer at Juul Labs, who praised the U.K. government’s policy and called for more to be done “to combat underage use of these products.”
The briefing—which was sent to journalists before the policy was announced publicly—appears to have directly resulted in positive media coverage for Juul, with Murillo’s quote republished by four national newspapers.
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Vaping Up in U.K. Prisons
Image: Tobacco Reporter archive Vaping has surged in U.K. prisons since a smoking ban went into effect in 2017 (in England and Wales), according to Filter.
In the 2021–2022 financial year, prisoners spent close to £8 million on vapor products. Prisoners have access to vapes as well as nicotine-replacement therapy.
While the surge in vaping has been positive in terms of harm reduction, the abrupt change has had its challenges. With the prohibition of smoking in prisons came illicit cigarettes and trading/selling other personal property, including meals, in order to obtain cigarettes.
The Howard League for Penal Reform “has supported making prisons smoke-free in principle, given the health risks to both prisoners and staff,” said Andrew Neilson, director of campaigns. “But we’ve always been concerned that the ban was implemented responsibly and that prisoners were given the proper support and resources to move away from smoking.”
Neilson cited a general lack of provisions to support mental and physical health, including lack of access to fresh air. “Prisons are still struggling to deliver these kinds of open regimes after the pandemic effectively locked prisons down and saw people kept in their cells 23 hours a day.”
The smoking ban raises questions, according to Andy West, who teaches philosophy in prisons, when a prison cell is someone’s residence and when “people still want to smoke” and “prisons seem to stoke addictions.” He said that illicit cigarettes are “more dangerous” and “Prohibition always creates a bigger monster than the one it kills.”
Despite this, the number of prisoners who have turned to vaping and stuck with it is promising. “The fact that many people have access to vaping products is welcome news from a tobacco harm reduction perspective,” said Debbie Robson, senior lecturer in tobacco harm reduction at King’s College London. “Great progress has been made in creating a smoke-free prison estate despite doubting it was achievable given the high smoking rates in prison settings.”
Robson speaks with formerly incarcerated individuals while conducting research, and many have expressed that their first vaping experiences were in prison, and “some have stayed smoke-free ever since.”
“As a nurse, that makes me question why a prison setting may be the first time someone has the opportunity to use a vape,” she said. Outside the prison system, “health and social care practitioners can do more to raise awareness and reduce barriers to vaping in groups where smoking prevalence is high,” she said.
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UK to Launch Vaping ‘Enforcement Squads’
Image: RealPeopleStudio | Adobe Stock The U.K. is set to launch “illicit vapes enforcement squads” as part of a crackdown on the illegal sale of e-cigarettes to youth under the age of 18, reports Sky News.
Led by Trading Standards, the squads will work across the country and share knowledge across regional networks and local authorities.
The government says its priority is to prevent people from smoking and to support them to quit. It has admitted vaping is a preferable alternative for adults.
However, it recognizes it has issues with illegal sales to children and illicit vapes being introduced into the market.
Neil O’Brien, the health minister who will unveil the new plans, said the new illicit vapes enforcement squad will work across the country and clamp down on those businesses that sell vapes to children.
“Our call for evidence will also allow us to get a firm understanding of the steps we can take to reduce the number of children accessing and using vapes,” he said.
Smoker rights group Forest welcomed the knowledge-focused approach. “Education is always better than coercion, so we’re pleased the government appears to favor the carrot not the stick approach to smoking cessation,” said Forest director Simon Clark.
“Vaping is a significantly less harmful alternative to smoking, so it makes sense to encourage smokers to switch to e-cigarettes.
“If, however, adult smokers still prefer to smoke tobacco, government must respect that choice.”
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U.K. Considers Banning Nontobacco Flavors
Image: f11photo | Adobe Stock The U.K. government will consider banning fruit-flavored vapes in order to combat youth usage, reports ITV News.
Public Health Minister Neil O’Brien is expected to make a speech next month calling for an investigation into the issue with the possibility of banning fruity flavors that have exploded in popularity in recent years.
In the U.K., it is illegal to sell vapes to those under 18; there are also strict limits on nicotine content, refill bottle and tank sizes as well as restrictions on advertising and labeling.
Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said the Department of Health and Social Care is exploring ways to tackle youth vaping in response to a question in the Commons.
The government is still keen to promote vaping among adults as an alternative to smoking.
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U.K. Tobacco Duty Increased
Image: weyo | Adobe Stock Chancellor Jeremy Hunt raised the U.K. tobacco duty in his spring budget, reports The Independent. A 20-pack of cigarettes will now cost more than £14 ($16.86).
The cigarette tax increased by 10.1 percent in line with the retail price index plus an additional 2 percent.
Hand-rolling tobacco will increase by 10.1 percent plus an additional 6 percent.
Smokers-rights activists were aghast.
“Punishing smokers for their habit during a cost-of-living crisis is heartless and cruel,” said Simon Clark, director of the smokers’ campaign group Forest. “It discriminates against poorer smokers and will drive many more consumers to the black market.
“This is bad news for legitimate, law-abiding retailers and bad news for the Treasury, which could lose billions of pounds in revenue if more smokers buy their tobacco from illicit traders.”
The last cigarette price increase was in October 2021.
The price increase is part of the effort to make the U.K. smoke-free by 2030.
Alcohol taxes are also set to increase with inflation.
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Elf Bar Exceeds Legal U.K. E-Liquid Volumes
Elf Bar 600 products have been pulled from shelves in multiple U.K. stores after it was discovered that the products contained e-liquid volumes at levels at least 50 percent higher than what is legal, reports The Daily Mail (the article states the liquids were over nicotine limits, but there is no evidence of that. The UK limits nicotine strength to no more than 20mg/ml).
The company stated that it “inadvertently” broke the law and “wholeheartedly apologized.”
Experts described the situation as “deeply disturbing” and warned of risk to youth, among which the products are very popular.
Elf Bar, which launched in 2021, sells 2.5 million Elf Bar 600s in the U.K. every week, accounting for two in three of all disposable vapes sold.
The legal limit on e-liquid in vapes is 2 mL, but tests commissioned by the Mail on three flavors of Elf Bar 600s found volume levels between 3 mL and 3.2 mL.
Mark Oates, director of consumer advocacy group We Vape, said, “The Mail’s findings on Elf Bars are deeply worrying, and it is clear there have been failings on multiple levels.
“Not only are the levels of e-liquid too high, but checks to make sure these guidelines are adhered to either haven’t occurred or are insufficient. Anyone supplying vapes in the U.K. market should be following the legislation.
“It is incredibly frustrating when major players in this sector appear to behave in a way that damages the reputation of something as beneficial as vaping, and we expect the matter to be fully investigated by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).”