Tag: United Kingdom

U.K. Firms Told to Step up Litter Control

Photo: Tobacco Reporter archive
U.K. environment minister Rebecca Pow has threatened the tobacco industry with tough action unless it does a better job of controlling cigarette litter.
In letters sent to Philip Morris, Japan Tobacco International and the Tobacco Manufacturers Association (TMA), Pow described smoking-related litter as a particularly persistent and widespread problem
“I had hoped to see the TMA and the companies it represents work more proactively to deliver on the commitment it gave during the 2015 select committee inquiry on litter and fly-tipping.”
Pow said she was prepared to hold talks with the tobacco industry and Keep Britain Tidy (KBT) but kept open the option of additional steps if the roundtable yielded insufficient progress.
“We will have to reflect on what steps the government can take going forward to ensure that the tobacco industry takes increasing responsibility for the litter that its products create,” she said.
Pow warned this “could go beyond what KBT has proposed to the industry as a voluntary approach”.
The Environment Bill contains clauses that would allow the creation of an environmental permitting regulations scheme for tobacco filters.
August 20, 2020
Campaigning Against Underage Access

Photo: VPZ
The U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) has teamed up with Trading Standards to prevent the underage sales of vapor products across the country.
With the support of Buckinghamshire & Surrey Trading Standards, the association has published the Preventing Underage Sales Guide—the first of its kind published by the U.K. vapor industry.
John Dunne
The guide covers current vaping age legislation in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland; use and best practice enforcement of the Challenge 25 rule; and dealing with the issue of proxy purchasing where an adult buys on behalf of someone under 18. It also advises on different forms of ID that can be accepted and methods of deception to be aware of as well as points to consider with digital age verification.
“The legal age to buy vaping products is 18, and we want to keep it that way by making it as hard as possible for minors to get their hands on vaping devices and e-liquids,” said John Dunne, director at the UKVIA. “This guide is designed to ensure consistency and high-level standards across the industry when it comes to age verification.”
August 4, 2020
Outdoor Smoking Ban Condemned

Simon Clark (Photo: Taco Tuinstra)
The smoker advocacy group Forest has condemned a plan to ban outdoor smoking at U.K. pubs and cafes amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
A group of lawmakers wants the government to require smoking to be banned if the businesses want licenses to serve pavement drinks.
“This is gross opportunism by a small group of anti-smoking peers who have spotted a chance to advance their extreme anti-smoking agenda,” said Simon Clark, director of Forest.
“There is no evidence that smoking in the open air is a threat to public health, so this is a matter for individual businesses not government or local authorities. In the wake of lockdown, pubs, restaurants and cafes already face huge challenges. This is the worst possible time to add to their burden by imposing further regulations that could discourage a lot of smokers from returning.”
Forest is urging the hospitality industry to fight the ban.
“The smoking ban had a huge impact on the pub sector and was a significant factor in thousands of pubs closing after it was introduced in 2007,” Clark said.

July 14, 2020
Caught off-guard by Covid, the U.K. raises RYO taxes
Struggling to contain a crisis that it ignored for a month, the U.K. government raises the tax on roll-your-own cigarettes.
By George Gay

Photo: zikamatej from Pixabay
In its March budget, and in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, the U.K. government increased the duty on roll-your-own (RYO) tobacco by inflation plus 6 percent. I am told that anti-smoker campaigners had been calling for an increase of inflation plus 15 percent.
I find it difficult to understand how the government and campaigners can act in such an unfair, discriminatory and callous way, especially at this time. Smokers are largely made up of the financially less wellvoff, and many RYO consumers are smokers who cannot afford cigarettes. At the same time, a lot of RYO smokers are elderly, perhaps lonely. Are they to be allowed no solace as they are forced by government diktat into isolation because of the threat that they may contract Covid-19? Having been told for most of their lives—wrongly as it turns out—that smoking will kill them, are they in fact to be killed by a type of virus nobody bothered to warn them about—and without the comfort of a final rollie? Is it not possible for those with power and influence to forget their alcohol (no duty increase, of course), cocaine (illegal, so ditto) and other apparently more acceptable habits for a while and imagine themselves in the shoes of the less well off?
The U.K. government proved to be woefully unprepared to protect its people from the perfectly predictable arrival of a deadly coronavirus that those people, individually, have almost no protection against. But it stands ready to fight any 70-plus-year-old who chooses to indulge in the legal habit of smoking an RYO cigarette.
In one of his statements, the U.K.’s prime minister, Boris Johnson, widely viewed as a libertarian, suggested that one of the reasons why the government was taking a “gently, gently” approach to curbing people’s ability to fraternize during the coronavirus crisis was that the U.K. was a bastion of liberty. Given that smoking tobacco, a legal product, is banned from public places in the U.K., the argument seemed to be that people should, in the name of liberty, be allowed to gather together to spread the deadly virus, which kills within weeks, whereas smokers should not be allowed to gather together because of the miniscule threat that secondhand smoke will kill a bystander within 40 years or so. Of course, as the “science changed,” (you couldn’t make this up) he was soon in full retreat from his defense of liberty and moving to his more usual stance of taking liberties.
The argument seemed to be that people should, in the name of liberty, be allowed to gather together to spread the deadly virus, which kills within weeks, whereas smokers should not be allowed to gather together because of the miniscule threat that secondhand smoke will kill a bystander within 40 years or so.
But one can expect no more. The government, run apparently by a bunch of self-styled weirdos and misfits and bent on undervaluing the country’s experienced, serious-minded and formerly internationally respected civil servants, found itself way out of its depth as it reaped the whirlwind of 10 years of austerity and the onward march of Covid-19 through a nation it had torn apart over Brexit. Covid-19, marching in lockstep with an economic meltdown and a financial panic, emerged on the back of the free market and proved unmoved by the prime minister’s only weapons: bluster and a pantomime-like imitation of Winston Churchill that surely would not earn him an Equity card.
The government couldn’t and, as I write, still cannot provide an efficient or anything like adequate testing regime for the virus. Indeed, a new cabinet, seemingly made up mainly of poodles and patsies who a few months earlier had bleated for the cameras how the government was going to build 40 new hospitals, couldn’t, even by the end of March, provide face masks for all frontline medical staff.
And this, of course, was the reason for the huge increase in RYO tax. It wasn’t about forcing RYO smokers to quit their habit (they are addicted, after all). It was about the government casting about among the financially poor to find the funds necessary to face up to the crisis that it appeared to have largely ignored for a month.
The government’s duty increases on tobacco products will, of course, have greatly pleased the World Health Organization (WHO), which advocates taxing poor smokers heavily (for their own good, of course), but the government’s response to the coronavirus outbreak went down less well with the WHO, which at times seemed nonplussed by the government’s approach, or lack of it. Still, what can the WHO expect? The U.K. is a fully paid-up member of the WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, but there is, of course, no Framework Convention on Coronavirus Prevention and Control.
Prevention. Now there’s a thing. What are the chances that, with the world’s health defenses not reserved for tobacco all pointing at Covid-19, anyone is watching our backs for the arrival of the next deadly coronavirus? Not great, I would suggest. And it will arrive as sure as night follows day unless things change and prevention is pushed to the fore. We know what some of the main risk factors in respect of such viruses are, so even if we cannot prevent their outbreak, we can greatly reduce their likelihood. But we won’t; the free market, marching in lockstep with inept leaders around the world, will see to that.
George Gay is Tobacco Reporter’s European editor, but his territory spans the globe. Based in London, George has covered the tobacco industry since 1982, initially for a U.K.-based publication and since 2004 for Tobacco Reporter. George’s understanding of industry issues, combined with his keen sense of observation and dry wit, have earned him a loyal following among Tobacco Reporter’s readers.

June 4, 2020
Firms Offer Alternatives After Menthol Ban

Photo: Imperial Brands
Tobacco companies are taking advantage of the U.K.’s ban on menthol cigarettes to promote alternative products, according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
Philip Morris reportedly described the ban, which began on May 20, as a “huge opportunity” for its business as the 1.3 million menthol smokers in the U.K. consider their options.
According to the bureau, Philip Morris in the runup to the ban hired sales reps to promote its menthol heated tobacco products directly to newsagents, one of the only legal ways it can advertise in the U.K. where almost all tobacco advertising is banned. It also offered promotional menthol kits and trials for new customers, with half-price tobacco sticks in any of its four menthol flavors.
Philip Morris’ competitors have also tried to turn the menthol ban into a sales opportunity. Japan Tobacco has launched a menthol cigarillo, Imperial Brands has designed a mint-infused card that flavors cigarettes with menthol, and British American Tobacco is marketing its mint-flavored vapes.

“The menthol ban is going to be bad news for a lot of smokers, who are going to find smoking less appealing, so it is a big opportunity for smokers to quit,” said John Britton, professor of epidemiology and director at the U.K. Centre for Tobacco & Alcohol Studies at the University of Nottingham.
He said that tobacco companies will “want to minimize the numbers who quit and maximize the numbers who continue to buy products from them.”
May 26, 2020
UKVIA: U.K. Vape Shops Well-Positioned for Reopening

Photo: Tobacco Reporter archive
The entrepreneurial spirit displayed by vape shops during the U.K. government’s 10-week coronavirus lockdown will help them bounce back after the economy reopens, according to the U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA).
On Monday, the government announced it would allow vape shops to reopen June 15.
The UKVIA said it is “immensely proud” of vaping businesses for the responsible approach they have taken during the lockdown.
John Dunne
“The response from the industry to the challenging conditions has been both staggering and exemplary,” said John Dunne, director at UKVIA. “I know that our members that make up a large share of the vaping market have been working around the clock to provide online and home delivery services to the 3.2 million vapers across the country.
Dunne believes that the industry will be well placed to more than meet the social distancing guidance when shops reopen.
“All our retail members have still been ‘open for business’ since the lockdown begun and have introduced social distancing measures that go well beyond the government guidance,” he said. “This should give vapers confidence when going to their local stores.”
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May 26, 2020
U.K. Smoking Rates up Amid Lockdowns

Photo: Taco Tuinstra
Since the start of the coronavirus-related lockdowns, more people in the U.K. are smoking, according to a recent study. About 2.2 million people are smoking more than usual, according to the study, while 4.8 million are smoking the same amount and 1.9 million have decreased the amount they smoke.
Stress and anxiety related to the lockdowns have been the main cause of the rise in smoking rates along with smoking being used as an excuse to go outside. The freedoms that come with working from home have also aided in the rise.
Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) has accused the government of taking too long to make a decision over the release of funding meant for a “quit smoking for coronavirus” campaign, which the group feels would help lower the smoking rates.
May 26, 2020
Myblu performing well
Imperial Brands said today that its myblu vaping device was performing well, with increased investment driving brand awareness among smokers and vapers and significant year on year revenue growth.
Under a Next Generation Products heading within a trading update posted on its website, Imperial said it had built strong retail share positions in Europe and in Japan. ‘In the USA, we have achieved good year-on-year revenue growth, despite some constraints due to market uncertainty following statements by the US Food & Drug Administration.’
In its update issued ahead of its close period on April 1, Imperial confirmed it was on track to meet constant currency net revenue and earnings expectations for the full year, with group net revenue growth at, or above, the upper end of its 1-4 percent revenue growth range and EPS growth within its 4-8 percent guidance range.
Imperial said it was on track to deliver modest revenue growth in tobacco, with growth weighted to the second half more than offsetting a slight decline in the first half. Price/mix continued to be strong, while volume trends were slightly behind those of the second half of last year, impacted by the phasing of trade inventories, including in the US following a recent Imperial price increase.
‘Operating profit in the first half reflects continued underlying growth in tobacco profits albeit more than offset by increased investment in blu of £100 million, as highlighted in November,’ Imperial said.
‘First half earnings per share will also be impacted by the reduction of our Logista stake and last year’s divestment of our Other Tobacco Products business.
‘We continue to expect to realise £50-100 million of other gains this year which will benefit the second half.
‘Translation FX at current rate of exchange is expected to benefit first half earnings by c. 2 percent and be flat for the full year.’
March 27, 2019
A means to an ENDS
The Broughton Group said yesterday it had launched Broughton Nicotine Services, a spin-off from Broughton Laboratories that will specialise in ‘accelerating safer nicotine-delivery products to market; advancing a smoke-free future’.
‘The launch coincides with the development of a 15,000 ft² CRO [contract research organization] facility (pictured – Karen Ross Photography Studio) in Lancashire [UK] designed specifically to address the needs of the Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) market,’ Broughton said in a press note.
‘Having operated in this rapidly expanding and changing market for almost 10 years, the company is now perfectly placed to guide ENDS companies through a period of growth and regulatory change.
‘Broughton Nicotine Services raised over £5 million in 2018 to invest in the new facility which includes several specialist laboratories equipped with the latest aerosol collection instruments, high-spec analytical equipment and fully validated software data management systems.
‘An impressive stand-alone stability facility covering all ICH [International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use] storage requirements has been included in this initial phase of developments.
‘Led by a growing team of experienced scientists and analytical chemists, the operation is aligned with capacity for further expansion during 2019 to meet the expectations of its global client base.’
Chief executive Dr. Paul Moran was quoted as saying that there had been a rapid change during recent years within the reduced-risk nicotine products market. “At Broughton Nicotine Services, we are committed to supporting this evolving industry towards creating a smoke-free future through innovations, scientific advancement and regulatory compliance,” he said. “Operating as an independent company within the Broughton Group, specialising in next generation nicotine delivery, will enable us to continue to accelerate the transformation of this exciting industry for our clients.”
March 21, 2019
Looking for change
Knowledge∙Action∙Change (KAC), a private sector public health agency based in the UK, has called for action to prevent the dramatic rises in smoking rates in Africa that have been predicted by the World Health Organization.
In a note issued through PRNewswire, KAC said that while globally smoking rates were decreasing, in many lower- and middle-income countries, African nations among them, rates were increasing. WHO data showed a steep rise in smoking in many African countries, with many five-year projected increases at five percent and more.
With this in mind, public health experts from KAC had this week visited Lilongwe, Malawi, and Nairobi, Kenya, to launch No Fire, No Smoke – The Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction 2018 (GSTHR), ‘a landmark report on the worldwide availability, regulation, and use of lower-risk alternatives to tobacco, such as e-cigarettes (vapes), heat-not-burn devices, and Swedish snus (pasteurized oral tobacco)’.
‘A proven public health strategy, harm reduction refers to policies, regulations, and actions that reduce health risks by providing safer forms of hazardous products or encouraging less risky behaviors, rather than simply banning them,’ the note said.
‘Independent evidence from the UK Government’s leading public health body demonstrated recently that vaping is at least 95 percent safer than smoking tobacco. Yet despite the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) of 2003 citing harm reduction as one of its main tactics, the WHO has been persistently negative about e-cigarettes, has called for their ban or strict regulation, and sees them as a threat, rather than as a public health opportunity.
‘Partnering with the information dissemination project, Tobacco Harm Reduction Malawi, and the newly launched Campaign for Safer Alternatives based in Kenya, the GSTHR report’s publishers presented global findings on tobacco harm reduction, showing that many smokers have switched to safer products and dramatically reduced the risks associated with smoking.’
“We need to halt the dramatic rises in smoking rates in Africa which are predicted by WHO,” Professor Gerry Stimson, director of KAC and Emeritus Professor at Imperial College London, was quoted as saying. “Most smokers want to quit smoking, but they find it hard to stop using nicotine. Around the world, millions of lives depend on both consumer and government acceptance of safer alternatives to smoking.”
Meanwhile, Chimwemwe Ngoma, project manager, Tobacco Harm Reduction Malawi and holder of a Global Tobacco Harm Reduction Scholarship, said that Tobacco Harm Reduction Malawi believed that all citizens of Malawi should be informed of the health consequences, addictive nature, and mortal threat posed by tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke. “Malawians should be able to make more informed public and personal choices, including having access to safer nicotine products, to enable them to live longer and healthier lives,” he said.
And Joseph Magero, chair of the Campaign for Safer Alternatives and holder of a Global Tobacco Harm Reduction Scholarship, said society’s relationship with tobacco and nicotine was changing due to technical developments in vaping devices and other safer nicotine products. “The Campaign for Safer Alternatives has formally launched this week to ensure more people across East Africa receive accurate information on alternatives to smoking,” he said. “By arming people with information, we can finally begin to curb the tobacco epidemic.”
March 19, 2019