Tag: United Kingdom

Paper Explores British Harm Reduction Success

Photo: pressmaster
The latest briefing paper from the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction (GSTHR), a project from public health agency Knowledge Action Change (KAC), focuses on the remarkable shift from smoking to vaping that has taken place in the United Kingdom in recent years.
“A smokefree UK? How research, policy and vapes have cut smoking rates” explores some of the reasons behind the U.K.’s rapid and growing embrace of vaping and provides a case study showcasing the potential of tobacco harm reduction through the adoption of safer nicotine products, following KAC’s recent briefing paper on the effect heated-tobacco products have had in Japan.
One of a number of positive country profiles set to feature in the fourth biennial Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction report, published later this year, this briefing paper shows the number of people who smoke has fallen by nearly 50 percent since the introduction of vapes nearly two decades ago (from 23.7 percent of adults in 2005 to 12.9 percent in 2022).
KAC’s newest publication also includes a significant forecast, based on the latest available data from the Office for National Statistics and Action on Smoking and Health, that reveals the number of adults who smoke will continue to fall to just over 10 percent in 2025. In contrast, the number of adults who vape will keep rising from the 11 percent recorded in 2024, meaning vaping will overtake smoking for the first time in the U.K. According to KAC, these changes provide further evidence that when consumers have access to safer nicotine products that are acceptable and readily available, they will make the decision to switch in ever-increasing numbers.
While this briefing paper, which will be available in 12 languages as well as English, tells a story of consumers leading the way by adopting a new technology in a bid to improve their health, it also showcases the impact that scientific research and proactive governments can have on public health policies, according to KAC.

The U.K. has played host to some significant milestones in the study of smoking and safer nicotine products. The link between smoking and cancer was first established in the U.K. in 1950 and these studies led to the publication of the Royal College of Physicians’ landmark report “Smoking and Health.” It was the first to widely publicize information about the negative effects of smoking on health, and it is considered to be a turning point in the history of public health in the U.K. Moving forward to 2015, the predecessor of the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, Public Health England, published an independent evidence review that concluded nicotine vapes were around 95 percent less harmful than smoking. Now referenced around the world as the foremost example of the relative safety of vaping, this report concluded vapes had the potential to help people quit smoking.
Armed with such strong and reliable evidence supporting the role it could play in reducing smoking rates, successive U.K. governments have continued to endorse vaping. Not only are vapes easy to access for those aged over 18, the government and the National Health Service (NHS) have encouraged people to switch from smoking to vaping. One of the most radical ideas came in 2023 when the government announced that 1 million people who smoked would be encouraged to switch from cigarettes to vapes. As part of the “swap to stop” campaign, a world-first national scheme, around one-fifth of those who smoked would be provided with a vape starter kit, alongside behavioral support, to help them quit. For its part, the NHS provides a wealth of evidence-based advice to those who smoke about the relative safety of vapes compared to cigarettes, though it does emphasize that the full benefits of vaping are only achieved by those who manage to stop smoking cigarettes completely.
“In a similar vein to that seen in Japan, the fall in smoking rates in the United Kingdom reinforces just how rapidly situations can improve when people already consuming nicotine by smoking can access a safer alternative like vapes,” said KAC Director David MacKintosh in a statement.
“When vaping overtakes smoking next year in the U.K., it will not be simply the consequence of a consumer-led revolution, although this has been significant, it will also be the result of successive governments making pragmatic policy decisions based on the evidence in front of them. Maintaining a clear focus on reducing the use of combustible cigarettes provides an opportunity to achieve the ambitious 2030 ‘smoke-free’ target.”
October 1, 2024
UK Urged to Tackle Illegal Vapes

Photo: BAT
The U.K. government should be cracking down on illegal vapes rather than introducing redundant policies on cigarettes, according to BAT Chief Corporate Officer Kingsley Wheaton.
Wheaton made his comments in the context of the British government’s “generational tobacco ban.” The U.K.’s previous Conservative administration announced plans to create a smoke-free generation by banning the sales of cigarettes in the future to anyone who is currently aged 14 or under. The new Labour government is continuing with the policy and is also concerned about the prevalence of disposable vapes.
Wheaton cited a BAT analysis showing that by the time the generational ban takes force, smoking rates will have already fallen below 5 percent in that age category.
BAT is instead pushing for licensing for retailers selling vapes. With proper enforcement, licensing will help reduce the number of underage children getting their hands on e-cigarettes and level the playing field for all companies operating in the industry, according to the multinationals.
“We need to move on to a more mature dialog with real solutions for the problems that are out there,” Wheaton was quoted as saying by Bloomberg.
September 19, 2024
JT Launches Mayfair Gold RYO

Image: JTI UK
Japan Tobacco International U.K. has launched Mayfair Gold Rolling Tobacco 30g in England, Scotland and Wales.
“Ultra value” remains the fastest-growing segment in the British tobacco category, and Mayfair Gold Rolling Tobacco offers a premium quality Virginia tobacco at a recommended retail price of £18.50 ($24.22) per 30g pouch.
The launch builds on the success of Mayfair Gold factory-made cigarettes, which have achieved a retail sales value of £46.7 million since debuting in September 2023 and is the fastest growing factory-made cigarette brand in Independent & Symbol Groups in the last 12 months.
The continued demand for lower-priced options has led to an increase in growth of ultra value tobacco products. According to JTI, Mayfair Gold Rolling Tobacco 30g represents a great opportunity for retailers to capitalize on an established heritage brand at an ultra-value price point.
“We find new product launches are helpful for our business across all categories, even in tobacco where customers are more brand loyal,” said Aruna Patel of Rons News in Worcestershire. “Mayfair is a popular brand, and we’d recommend Mayfair Gold to other retailers, as price is the main factor for our customers.”
“The ultra-value price point remains the key focus for us, with 60 percent of all sales volumes coming from this sector,” said Mark McGuiness, marketing director at JTI U.K. “We are continuing to innovate our offering in this area with the launch of a heritage brand, Mayfair Gold, into the RYO [roll-your-own] category.”
September 9, 2024
Campaigners Vow to Fight Outdoor Ban

Photo: gzorgz
A leaked plan to drastically extend smoking restrictions in Britain to outdoor spaces has sparked outrage among activists and some politicians.
According to The Sun, ministers have been “plotting” to make beer gardens, outdoor restaurants and other open-air spaces smokefree. The proposed restrictions exempt private homes, along with large open spaces such as parks or streets.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: “It’ll be the end of pubs.”
“Imposing nanny state regulation like this on pubs and restaurants would not only be wrong but economically damaging,” said Former Home Secretary Priti Patel.
“These are small businesses, run by hardworking people, that provide jobs up and down the country.”
Simon Clark, director of the smokers’ rights group Forest vowed to fight any attempt to extend smoking bans to outdoor areas.
“Smoking bans must be evidence based and there is no evidence that smoking in the open air is a significant threat to the health of nonsmokers,” he said.
“The indoor smoking ban did enormous damage to the pub industry. Extending the ban to beer gardens could force many more pubs to close.”
Accusing the ruling Labour party of using “bully state” tactics to force adults to quit smoking, Clark said, “If it’s true that the government intends to extend the smoking ban to a raft of outdoor areas, Britain will no longer be a nanny state.
“We will have crossed a line and become a bully state in which people are punished for the terrible crime of lighting a cigarette outside a pub or in a park.”
August 29, 2024
UKVIA Warns Against ‘Spice’ Vapes

Photo: fedorovacz
The U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) has cautioned consumers about an increase in illegal “Spice vapes” and called for urgent government action to protect young people.
The warning follows reports of people misusing “open” vape devices—which allow consumers to add e-liquid—to deliver synthetic cannabinoids such as Spice and the psychoactive chemical THC, which is found in cannabis. Spice is a nickname for a substance containing one or more synthetic cannabinoids.
UKVIA stated that the regulated nicotine vape industry is in no way connected with the trend of using open vape devices as a delivery mechanism for illegal drugs.
“Consumers can feel confident that when they buy regulated products from any reputable vape supplier, that they will be getting nicotine vapes which are designed to help them transition from cigarettes,” said UKVIA Director General John Dunne in a statement.
“I am worried, however, that there are vape devices available from unofficial sources which may contain illegal drugs and that those who buy them may have no idea what is contained in these products.”
According to Office for Health Improvement & Disparities statistics, of the 12,418 young people under 18 in contact with alcohol and drug services between April 2022 and March 2023, cannabis was the most common substance (87 percent) for which young people sought treatment. While 10,837 young people reported having a problem with cannabis only 1,737 said they had a problem with nicotine.
“We need the government to step on now with a nationwide education campaign in traditional and social media to highlight the dangers of obtaining vape devices from unofficial sources and explaining the differences between legal and illegal vape products,” said Dunne.
“Unless a clear distinction is made between the regulated vape market supplying adult smokers with products which are 95 percent less harmful than cigarettes and the unofficial supply of illegal products, then people will become wary of all vapes with the potential to drive smoking rates back up again.”
August 28, 2024
Out of Proportion

A fine cigar is a basic product that is probably as “natural” as any consumer product can be. | Photo: Laurenx
The inclusion of fine cigars in the UK generational ban proposal makes no sense.
By George Gay
On May 22, the then U.K. prime minister, Rishi Sunak, announced that Parliament was to be dissolved on May 30 and a general election held on July 4.¹ The announcement caught even political commentators by surprise because the election could have been held any time during 2024 or January 2025. Clearly, Sunak had decided that his policies were not going to improve the circumstances of most voters, at least in the short term.
There was certainly a note of desperation in the timing of the announcement because it meant Sunak was abandoning many of what had been referred to as his flagship policies, a move that led The Guardian newspaper to report that his legacy was looking “increasingly threadbare.”
But it’s an ill wind and, from the point of view of certain sections of the tobacco industry, the announcement came as a relief because it meant the tobacco and vapes bill, which was being pushed through Parliament with cross-party support, was holed below the waterline. The bill contained a provision for banning tobacco sales in the U.K. to anybody born from Jan. 1, 2009, onward, a so-called generational ban.
It seemed to say something about Sunak that he chose to scupper this policy while it had the wind in its sails, especially since, notwithstanding the timing of events, it could have been pushed through in the last days of Parliament, and given he had so emphasized his commitment to the health of the next generation. In fact, a BBC interviewer on May 24, apparently incredulous that the policy had been abandoned, asked a minister how this could have been the case, only to be told that Sunak had at least won the argument.
But this was not true because there had been no argument, if “argument” is used to mean a debate during which different ideas are put forward and resolved in a rational manner. Speaking at a Beat the Ban lunch held in London on May 21, Simon Clark, the director of the Freedom Organization for the Right to Enjoy Smoking Tobacco (Forest), had been scathing about the way the bill was being “steamrollered” through Parliament. Following a short public consultation before Christmas, he said, the government had announced that it would not consider any submissions from groups with links to the tobacco industry, which, for instance, included Forest and even retailers. “To the best of my knowledge, that has never happened before,” he added.
But, once again, this speaks to the makeup of Sunak, who apparently does not like to hear counter arguments and becomes tetchy when he does. So it is hardly surprising that, after the bill’s second reading, when it entered its committee stage, 16 of the 17 Members of Parliament appointed to the committee had voted for the bill, and the other was known to support it. And when it came to inviting people to give oral evidence to the committee, witnesses were almost exclusively supporters of the bill.
The August court ruling put the FDA in a position where it could regulate as tobacco products vaping articles that contain no tobacco but not premium cigars that contain only tobacco.
Misplaced Priorities
Sunak’s scuppering of the bill is unlikely to be the end of the matter because it had near-universal parliamentary approval. This means that a tobacco and vapes bill is likely to be refloated in some form, so it is worthwhile looking at some of the thinking behind this initiative. Any number of stories have been written about proposed generational tobacco bans, but here I would like to consider one aspect of it that I think makes no sense: the fact that the proposed U.K. ban, in encompassing all tobacco products, seems to lack any sense of proportion, something that can be demonstrated by citing the case of fine cigars.
At a time when, belatedly, serious health concerns are being raised in public about the consumption of alcohol, processed foods, caffeine and social media, and even about gambling and lack of sleep, why would the government’s attention be focused on something as benign as fine cigars, defined here as those cigars comprising only tobacco, water and vegetable-based gum?
As here defined, a fine cigar is a basic product that is probably as “natural” as any consumer product can be. Fine cigars are not implicated in concerns about flavors, and they cause no problems in relation to filters, batteries and all the other tobacco/nicotine product parts implicated in environmental issues. I would guess that only a tiny minority of the U.K. population smokes fine cigars, that the proportion of such smokers is relatively stable, that fine cigar consumption raises no ethnic or gender issues and that where these products are smoked is already restricted, meaning that certain aspects of concerns about population-level harm must be minimal.
Including an Outlier
To examine this issue a little closer, it is instructive to look across the Atlantic at what happened in relation to fine cigars in the U.S., where they are usually referred to as premium cigars. On August 9, 2023, in response to a lawsuit filed by the Cigar Association of America, the Cigar Rights of America (CRA) and the Premium Cigar Association, Judge Amit P. Mehta, sitting in the District Court for the District of Columbia, vacated the Food and Drug Administration’s 2016-imposed deeming regulations² in so far that they applied to premium cigars. This meant that from that date, the FDA no longer had regulatory authority over premium cigars.
Ironically, this ruling put the FDA in a position where it could regulate as tobacco products vaping articles that contain no tobacco but not premium cigars that contain only tobacco.
Mehta apparently decided that the FDA’s decision to regulate premium cigars was arbitrary and capricious, a damning decision given the FDA claims always to act on scientific evidence. According to Drew Perraut, the CRA’s regulatory affairs expert, speaking during a post-court-decision video conference posted on the CRA’s website, the science the CRA provided and its comment on the deeming rule were instrumental in bringing about the court ruling. The CRA, he said, presented evidence to the FDA that there was no detectable evidence of youth usage of premium cigars, along with scientific evidence from the National Institutes of Health showing there was no appreciable rise in morbidity or mortality associated with smoking premium cigars. Judge Mehta found that the FDA had not considered those scientific issues and had not responded adequately.
It seems to me that even if the FDA does not fully accept the CRA’s evidence that smoking premium cigars does not significantly increase morbidity and mortality levels, that these products do not appeal to young people and that there is no evidence of their addictiveness, it must concede that premium cigars comprise an outlier in these areas. You can work that out on the back of an envelope.
The danger posed by fine cigar smoking is a planetary system away from that caused by cigarette smoking.
The Scent of Spite
But the FDA immediately appealed Mehta’s decision, so the question arises as to why. What is the problem here? Would it not have been more efficient not to prioritize premium cigars but spend the resources of the FDA on dealing with what seems to be an already burdensome workload created by more troublesome products? Would it not have been better to allow an industry that does little harm, creates pleasure and employs a lot of people relative to its size to get on with what it does without undue interference?
The pursuit of premium cigars looks like vindictiveness, as does the pursuit of fine cigars in the U.K. There must be a sense that the people who seek to regulate unduly and ultimately do away with premium/fine cigars cannot understand the pleasure that these products provide and for this “reason” want to get rid of them.
Sailing back across the Atlantic, one might wonder what the U.K. Parliament’s beef with fine cigars is. Surely, even given that many parliamentarians seem in recent times to have become culturally impaired to the point of boorishness, those in government must realize that the appeal of fine cigars is a world away from that of cigarettes. They must realize that the danger posed by fine cigar smoking is a planetary system away from that caused by cigarette smoking. In fact, the world of fine cigars is close to that of fine wines because the consumption of each is not about addiction or even habit but about pleasure, fulfilment and, often, enjoying the company of like-minded people.
A generational ban will have no immediate effect on sales of fine cigars in the U.K. because of the age profile of those who smoke them. But it will mean that, in the future, when those born after the end of 2008 are in their mid-thirties and want to consume a sophisticated product that does not addle their brains, make them fat or deprive them of sleep, they will have the devil of a job finding somebody who is willing to sell them fine cigars.
A ban on the sales of fine cigars makes no sense. And, for similar reasons, it makes no sense when it is applied to pipe tobacco and snus. It is to be hoped that if in the U.K. the prospect of a generational tobacco sales ban is raised again, it is considered carefully and not made the subject of sledgehammer policies.

¹The Conservative government led by Sunak was defeated at the July 4 election and replaced by a Labour government led by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
²The FDA was granted regulatory authority over the manufacture, distribution and marketing of tobacco products under the Tobacco Control Act of 2009, but, initially, such authority was applied only to cigarettes, roll-your-own tobacco and smokeless tobacco. In 2014, as was its right, the FDA started the process of bringing other “tobacco” products under its authority. At first, urged by the premium cigar industry, it considered exempting premium cigars but later decided not to, and all other products were the subject of its 2016 “deeming” regulations.
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.

August 1, 2024
Trade Group Suggests Changes to U.K. Vapes Bill

Photo: VPZ
Responding to the announcement, made during the Kings Speech on July 17, that the Tobacco and Vapes Bill is back on Britain’s legislative agenda, the U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) proposed several amendments to the legislation.
Among other suggestions, the industry group proposed a vape retail and distributor licensing scheme that would prohibit rogue resellers from trading and provide £50 million ($64.88 million) funding to support heightened enforcement by an under-resourced Trading Standards.
It also suggested giving the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency new powers to outlaw child-friendly imagery and packaging.
In addition, the UKVIA proposed the introduction of a statutory requirement for the Secretary of State to consult with any interested stakeholders prior to introducing any new regulations.
“In its haste to rush this legislation through, the previous administration failed to consider any of these sensible and proportionate measures which would help smokers quit, protect young people and give much-needed funds to create a fit-for-purpose regulatory and enforcement framework moving forward,” said UKVIA Director General John Dunne in a statement.
“The UKVIA sincerely hopes that the new government and Wes Streeting as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and his department takes the time to get this right and does not fall into the trap of rushing it through as the Conservatives attempted to do.”

The powers contained in this bill have the potential to cause either enormous good or enormous harm for the health outcomes of the nation and this is why our politicians must act with care to get it right.
John Dunne, director general, UKVIA
According to Dunne, there is much at stake.
“The powers contained in this bill have the potential to cause either enormous good or enormous harm for the health outcomes of the nation and this is why our politicians must act with care to get it right,” he said.
“At its worst, it could lead to the ban of all flavored vapes, the end of retail in-store displays and vape products hidden from view just like deadly cigarettes. This would be the worst possible outcome because restricting vape sales would encourage former smokers to return to cigarettes and open the floodgates for black market dealers to take over the supply chain and target vulnerable young people in the process.
“At best, it will give impetus to help the country’s 6.4 million smokers finally quit cigarettes, prevent millions of unnecessary of deaths and save the NHS hundreds of millions of pounds in treatment costs.”
July 18, 2024
Critics Blast U.K.’s Commitment to Generational Ban

Image: Benjaminet
The new U.K. government’s intention to progressively increase the age at which people can buy cigarettes will not achieve its objectives, according to the smoker’s group Forest.
Responding to an announcement in today’s King’s Speech, the annual ceremony in which the British monarch sets out the policies of and proposed legislation that the government plans to introduce, Forest Director Simon Clark said the measure would fail to stop people smoking. Instead, he warned, it would drive more people to the black market and make smoking cool again.
SImon Clark
Originally proposed by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the generational tobacco ban would make it illegal for anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 2009, to ever legally buy cigarettes, effectively raising the legal age of purchase by one year, every year.
The measure passed its first parliamentary hurdle in April but was put on hold after Sunak, a conservative, called a national election, which was won by the Labour party.
While vowing to ditch many Tory policies, Labour reiterated its commitment to the generational tobacco ban, prompting criticism from smoker rights activists.
“Labour, like the previous Conservative government, is addicted to the nanny state,” said Clark.
“It’s ironic that Labour wants to reduce the voting age to 16 whilst denying adults the freedom to legally purchase cigarettes.
“If you are old enough to drive a car, join the army and buy alcohol, you are old enough to buy cigarettes and other tobacco products.”
The World Vapers Alliance (WVA) echoed the concern about illicit sales.
“It is already clear that the generational smoking ban won’t work, because prohibitions never work,” said WVA Director Michael Landl in a statement. “What makes the plan even worse is the crackdown on less harmful alternatives. Less harmful alternatives like vaping must be key elements of an anti-smoking strategy. Science and real-life examples like Sweden are proof. Harm reduction works, prohibition fails. The U.K. must not go down this path.”
July 17, 2024
‘Boris Johnson’ to Keep Vaping Legislation on Westminster Agenda

Photo: Riot Labs
E-liquid manufacturer Riot Labs delivered a life-sized replica of former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to Westminster in an attempt to get vaping legislation back on the agenda for the new Labour government.
Ex Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tried to bring in some of the world’s strictest anti-smoking rules and wanted to ban disposable vapes, ban flavors and ban branding, which Riot Labs said would be “a disaster for the vape sector and the millions of adult smokers trying to quit cigarettes.”
Rishi’s plan failed to become law before he called an election, but Labour recently expressing its commitment to the generational tobacco ban.
A recent study conducted by One Poll and commissioned by the U.K. Vaping Industry Association found 83 percent of surveyed vapers say flavored vapes helped them ‘pack in their smoking habit’. It also found one in three respondents (an estimated 1.5 million vapers) believes a ban on flavors would lead them back to conventional cigarettes.
The Royal College of Physicians too has warned against a wholesale limiting of flavors accessible to adults, arguing that “The use of flavors by adults trying to quit smoking is an integral part of the effectiveness of vaping as a quit aid.”
“This year has been a tumultuous one for the vape sector, with the government trying—and ultimately failing—to rush through unjustified new vaping laws which would have been dangerous for millions of adult smokers trying to quit” said Riot Labs CEO Ben Johnson.
“The reality of Sunak’s vaping legislation is giving people less choice, less value and ultimately less reasons to quit smoking at all. Now Labour’s in power, smoking and vaping policy will be back on the lengthy to-do list and we’ll be taking the fight to policymakers to stand-up for the vape sector.”
The Boris stunt comes a month after Riot Labs and Right Vape, Northampton vape shop, took aim at the vaping legislation with the opening of the “The Flavourless Vape shop.” Opened by Rishi Sunak lookalike Sanju, the launch of the shop took an unexpected turn when “Rishi Sunak” was egged by an angry member of the public who mistook him for the real prime minister.
“We are massively in favor of laws to tackle youth vaping, such as a fully funded license scheme for retailers, but we strongly disagree on the government’s approach to a flavor ban,” said Ben Johnson.
July 12, 2024
BAT to Introduce Vape Vending Machines

Photo: evannovostro
BAT plans to introduce vape and nicotine pouch vending machines in pubs in the U.K., according to Better Retailing.
The company is hiring at least 12 representatives to target on-trade establishments with the aim of “securing new locations for vending machine and other business development solutions to ultimately increase sellout of specific BAT-related products.”
Areas being targeted include Basingstoke, Birmingham, Bury St. Edmunds, Cambridge, Coventry, Crawley, Edinburgh, Exeter, Maidstone, Reading, Royal Tunbridge and Sevenoaks.
Six-month trial contracts are set to start on June 24 “with ambition to extend into 2025 and beyond.”
“BAT U.K. is excited to be working on a project to sell our Vuse and Velo brands via age-gated vending machines,” said a BAT spokesperson. “At BAT, our purpose is bold: to build A Better Tomorrow. We will do this by reducing the health impact of our business, including by reaching our adult consumers where they use our alternative nicotine products. Vending machines represent an exciting opportunity to further deliver on our purpose.”
In response to concerns about underage use, BAT stated that their “machines will use best-in-class age verification to ensure that this essential principle is maintained.”
June 20, 2024