Tag: United Kingdom

Activists Advise ‘Sensible’ Policies

Photo: lemanieh
The U.K. emphasis on creating a smokefree generation may be misguided considering that regular underage smoking has already reached an all-time low, according to critics.
The government is actively pursuing its plan to create a tobacco-free generation through the introduction of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, presented in the King’s Speech to Parliament on Nov. 7. This initiative, revealed in October, is particularly contentious as it proposes a complete prohibition on legal access to cigarettes for individuals under the age of 15. In addition to this, the bill introduces the possibility of implementing new taxes and restrictions on vaping, signaling an effort to combat youth vaping.
The government’s strategy involves a multifaceted approach, including a public consultation on youth vaping launched on Oct. 12. This consultation is open to U.K. residents of all ages, encouraging input from “teenagers, parents, teachers, medical professionals, academic experts and others” until Dec. 6. The overarching goal is to address youth vaping while still supporting adults in their efforts to quit smoking.
Writing in Filter, Kiran Sidhu spoke to several tobacco harm reduction advocates, some of whom suggested the government should prioritize reducing adult smoking, especially in economically disadvantaged communities where smoking rates are higher.
One of the key points of contention in the proposed bill is the potential ban on disposable vapes. While some advocate for such a ban, citing environmental concerns and youth use, others argue that it may have unintended consequences. Disposable vapes are favored by adults seeking to quit smoking due to their accessibility, ease of use and lower cost. A ban on disposables could disproportionately impact disadvantaged groups and potentially slow down the overall decline in smoking rates.
The government’s public consultation has garnered mixed responses on social media, with some perceiving it as a response to public outcry over a perceived youth-vaping crisis. Skepticism exists regarding the impact assessment process, with concerns that it may selectively support proposed restrictions while disregarding opposing views.
Amidst the debate, the director of an online vape retailer emphasizes the importance of responsible regulation. He suggests that listening to the experiences and insights of vapers, alongside input from scientists and professionals working with smokers, will lead to sensible regulations that prioritize harm reduction.
Previously hailed as a global example of successful tobacco harm reduction through vaping, the U.K. must now find a balance between addressing youth vaping, environmental impact and supporting adults in their journey to quit smoking. The outcome of the public consultation will significantly shape the future regulatory landscape for tobacco and vaping products in the U.K.
November 9, 2023
King’s Speech: Activists Decry Generational Ban

Image: Michael
Smokers’ rights group Forest condemned the U.K. government’s official announcement of legislation that will deny future generations of adults the right to purchase tobacco.
During the opening of the new session of Britain’s parliament today, King Charles presented the government’s plans for new legislation, which includes a generational tobacco bill, as reported by the BBC and other news outlets.
The proposed legislation 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 government is also looking to bring in rules regulating the flavors and descriptions of vapes that critics say are targeted at children.
“This is the worst form of nanny state regulation because it treats consenting adults like children,” said Forest Director Simon Clark.
“If you’re old enough to vote, drive a car, join the army, and purchase alcohol, you’re old enough to buy cigarettes and other tobacco products.
Clark warned that the legislation would boost the black market.
“The biggest benefactor from prohibition won’t be public health but criminal gangs and other illicit traders,” he said.
“Given everything else that is going on in the world, at home and abroad, it’s staggering that a Conservative government would waste valuable parliamentary time banning the sale of tobacco to adults who are perfectly capable of making informed decisions for themselves.”
November 7, 2023
A Pipe Dream?

Photo: Filipa
Britain’s plan to create a smoke-free generation could be momentous if implemented properly—and herein lies the problem.
By George Gay
The Guardian newspaper on Oct. 6 published a trenchant cartoon by Ben Jennings that showed an angry-looking U.K. prime minister driving or stuck in traffic on a road heavily polluted with vehicle fumes. But it is not the vehicle fumes that are making Rishi Sunak angry. He is shouting at a pedestrian student choking on the fumes as he makes his way to school: “Maybe you should stop smoking.”
For readers not based in the U.K., I should explain that, two days earlier, the prime minister’s office had issued a news bulletin titled, “Prime Minister to create ‘smoke-free generation’ by ending cigarette sales to those born on or after 1 January 2009,” while, previously, we had been told that Sunak was considering taking away the powers of local governments to protect children by preventing cars being driven right up to school gates.
I hope that the Jennings cartoon was seen by those public health officials who are quoted in the bulletin as not only supporting the policy, which is a reasonable stance for them to take, but as heaping praise on the prime minister for looking after the interests of young people. They might like to ponder the way Sunak, as chancellor under prime minister Boris Johnson, resisted calls for extending the provision of free school meals to needy children; the way he has served in a government that has allowed more than 100 schools to become structurally unsound; the way he remained in government while it rolled out a chaotic pandemic-period education program, possibly ruining the life chances of countless children; the way he has in mind to prevent local governments from introducing lower speed limits and car-free zones, both of which have positive consequences for children; the way he has condoned the placement of lone asylum-seeking children in hotels, despite the high court’s having found the practice unlawful; and, possibly most heinous of all, the way he condoned the painting over of cartoon murals at other centers housing children seeking asylum lest the centers became too welcoming.
I hope the public health people concerned do think about these matters, which are by no means exhaustive, and each of which will negatively affect the mental and physical well-being of children under the care of Sunak, a committed fossil fuel aficionado. And I hope that, in the future, before being drawn into the political sphere, they bear in mind that politicians regularly use children much as conjurors use their assistants.
I should let it be known also that Sunak heads a party that has been in government for 13 years, that is deeply divided and unpopular and that faces an election next year. In fact, his situation puts me in mind of Maynard Keynes, who apparently once made the point that when something momentous was at stake, the last things you needed in the mix were politicians trawling for votes.
The success or otherwise of this policy will hinge on satisfying, clean nicotine products remaining available even to young adults who will not be able legally to buy cigarettes.
Objections
Having said all that, I must admit that I think the proposed policy could be important, if not momentous. Nevertheless, I am conflicted because whereas I think the policy could offer huge advantages, it will do so only if it is implemented properly, and herein lies the problem. It is being rolled out in its initial phase by politicians trawling for votes.
One of the objections put forward by those opposed to such a policy is that it amounts to a creeping prohibition that aims eventually to disallow smokers from obtaining the products they seek. But is this correct? I can sympathize with those who worry about how such a policy might lead to a “creeping” overreach that takes in current smokers, but I wonder whether this could be described as “prohibition.”
Look at it this way: If there is one message that most tobacco harm reduction advocates have been keen to get across in recent years, it is that smokers smoke for the (benign) nicotine while being laid low by inhaling the tar that is a product of tobacco combustion. So, in fairness, while granting that the government is not proposing that current smokers should not be allowed to obtain cigarettes, it must be conceded also that it is not even proposing that they, or future generations of people, should not have access to nicotine, the substance that smokers want. And even if there is policy creep, the way things currently stand, smokers will not be subjected to a true prohibition because they will have access to nicotine. The proposal seems to my way of thinking to be only about stopping future generations and, given a bit of creep, current generations from inhaling tar, which, apparently, is not what smokers want but the thing that masks the otherwise unpalatable taste of nicotine and harms them.
Meanwhile, some people believe that a major issue with the proposed policy is that it simply won’t work—that those who are underage will be able to obtain cigarettes through family members, friends and retailers who turn a blind eye to the law. There is clearly truth in this because the underaged can obtain cigarettes now, but I cannot see that this matters a great deal, at least at a societal level. In fact, it might provide something of a safety valve for the policy. We have vehicle speed limits in the U.K. that are broken by most people on most days, but those limits nevertheless tend to reduce the speed at which people would otherwise drive. People might drive at 35 mph in 30 mph areas, but few do 45 mph. That such a system works can be seen from the fact that few outside of those on the lunatic fringe of libertarianism would agree to speed limits being abolished, allowing petrol heads to drive through cities at 150 mph. And so it is that the tobacco purchasing age law, along with the continuing availability of satisfying, cleaner nicotine products, would have the effect of reducing the number of people taking up smoking. But, of course, it would not stop it.

The way things currently stand, smokers will not be subjected to a true prohibition because they will have access to nicotine. | Photo: VPZ
Offering Alternatives
Nevertheless, as suggested above, the policy does raise concerns in my mind to do with the timing of it and the commitment to it of the current government and even a future government of a different stripe. Also as suggested above, the success or otherwise of this policy will hinge on satisfying, clean nicotine products remaining available even to young adults who, because of their age, will not be able legally to buy cigarettes. This is fundamental to me. I cannot imagine, as others apparently can, a future unchanging utopia where no one uses recreational drugs. And given I am correct in my assumption, cleanly delivered nicotine should have its place in the future. It is a popular and relatively safe drug, especially when compared with something such as alcohol, which, for reasons I can only guess at, is given a free pass by most public health people even though its consumption is a bigger drain on society than tobacco consumption.
But I digress. The reason I am not convinced the policy will be implemented in a coherent way is that the government, as part of its Oct. 4 news bulletin, said it was planning “a further major crackdown on youth vaping by announcing an intention to consult on plans to reduce the appeal and availability of vapes to children.” The consultation is to take in flavors and product descriptors, disposable vapes, point-of-sale displays, and packaging and product presentation.
It doesn’t take a genius to know which way this is going. The government says it wants to ensure it gets the balance right between protecting young people and supporting adult smokers to quit, but this is politics, and the “child epidemic” lobby will be allowed to have its finger pressing down on its side of the balance. And if the appeal to adults of clean nicotine products is significantly reduced, then it’s game over. The policy will simply pass the ball to those waiting to fuel the illegal trade in vaping devices and, probably, cigarettes.
Rushed Policies
But having said that, the policy could work in theory even though satisfying, cleaner nicotine products were not available, though it would take an investment in policing, the judiciary and the prison service to which no government would commit. The news bulletin said that “[e]nforcement activity will also be strengthened, with an investment of £30 million ($36.42 million) to support agencies such as local trading standards, HMRC [tax collection] and Border Force to take action to stop underage sales and tackle the import of illicit tobacco and vaping products at the border.” You would have to be terribly naive to believe that this amount would be guaranteed, and, in any case, it would be nowhere near enough and would probably not even make up for the disinvestment made in respect of these agencies during the Conservative governments’ 13 years of austerity. The major reason why young people are currently able to obtain vapes so easily is that the funding of trading standards was hugely undermined.
Another reason why the policy, though not without merit, is likely to fail is that it probably has not been thought through properly. The U.K. currently is awash with policies rushed out in order to make it appear, ahead of the election, that the government has a purpose. A recent announcement on railway investments was shot through with errors and failed even to place Manchester, the U.K.’s third-most populous city, correctly on a map.
The tobacco news bulletin is a rambling, repetitive affair that apparently aims to make up with quantity what it lacks in quality. Consequently, we are told on seven occasions that smoking costs the country billions. There are 77 references to smoke or smoking, but you could be forgiven for missing the point that the ban on sales will apparently apply to tobacco products, not just combustible products, because this gets only two mentions. It is full of the usual platitudes that don’t stand up to any sort of scrutiny, such as “[n]o parent ever wants their child to start smoking.” It appears to include one glaring error in saying, “It is already illegal for children to vape.” And it quotes the chief executive of Cancer Research U.K., Michelle Mitchell, as saying, “[t]he prime minister deserves great credit for putting the health of its citizens ahead of the interests of the tobacco lobby,” without adding a caveat to say that if the government had listened to Philip Morris International years ago, the country would already be a long way down the track to being a smoke-free nation.
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.

November 1, 2023
Snowplus to Launch Gold Bar and Clic in U.K.

Snowplus will soon launch two all-new disposable e-cigarettes. The Snowplus Gold Bar and Snowplus Clic are the first 5,000 puffs TPD-compliant devices to come to market, according to an emailed press release.
Debuting at the Vaper Expo UK, to be held from October 27-29 in Birmingham, England, the new products represent a “pioneering innovation” in the vaping market, according to Snowplus.
“The Snowplus Gold Bar will be the game-changer in the industry, it will definitely lead the product development direction,” said a Snowplus spokesperson. “A 5,000-puff TPD disposable vape has never been seen in the UK market before.”
All vaping products sold in the UK must comply with the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD). Most legal disposable vaping products in the UK deliver less than 800 puffs in order to meet TPD requirements.
The Gold Bar and Clic models both feature transparent e-liquid tanks that give users a clear, real-time view of remaining juice levels. The products also utilize lab-tested mesh coils made of specialized materials to deliver consistent and authentic flavor across 16 different juice options.
“Snowplus has pioneered responsible innovation since its founding in 2019,” the release states. “With $40 million in funding from renowned investors like Sequoia Capital, the company aims to provide better alternatives to combustible cigarettes for adult consumers.”
The Snowplus Gold Bar and Clic have also passed numerous third-party safety tests.
October 25, 2023
U.K. Mulls Single-Use Vape Ban
The United Kingdom will likely announce a public consultation next week on a plan to ban single-use vapes, reports The Guardian. While the government has accepted the benefits of e-cigarettes in helping smokers quit, it is increasingly concerned about the environmental impact and youth appeal of disposable products.
Research conducted by Material Focus suggested vapers in the U.K. throw out 5 million single-use e-cigarettes every week, a fourfold increase on 2022. This amounts to eight vapes a second being discarded, with the lithium in the products enough to create 5,000 electric car batteries a year, according to the organization.
Smokers’ rights group Forest said that if the U.K. government’s aim is to reduce smoking rates, banning disposable vapes would be “a significant own goal.”
“Vaping has been a huge success story, with millions of smokers choosing to switch to a product that is far less risky to their health. Part of that success is due to disposable vapes which are convenient and easy to use,” said Forest Director Simon Clark.
“The answer to the problem of children vaping is not to ban a product many adults use to help them quit smoking, but to crack down on retailers who are breaking the law and selling e-cigarettes to anyone under 18.”

The answer to the problem of children vaping is not to ban a product many adults use to help them quit smoking, but to crack down on retailers who are breaking the law and selling e-cigarettes to anyone under 18.”
Simon Clark, director, Forest
While stressing that the plans to ban single-use vapes were only at the consultation stage and no decisions had been made yet, the U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) said it too opposed the idea.
“We welcome the idea of a consultation on disposables as it’s key that the industry gets the opportunity to highlight the benefits, and therefore continued need, for single-use vapes as a smoking cessation method,” said UKVIA Director General John Dunne in a statement.
A ban, however, is not the answer, he cautioned. “Some 220 people die from smoking every day, 365 days a year,” said Dunne. “Disposables have proved to be highly effective in helping smokers quit their habits due to their ease of use, accessibility and low entry price points. They are one of the main reasons as to why the number of adult smokers in Great Britain has hit record lows for the last two years according to the Office for National Statistics.”

We welcome the idea of a consultation on disposables as it’s key that the industry gets the opportunity to highlight the benefits, and therefore continued need, for single-use vapes as a smoking cessation method.
John Dunne, Director General, UKVIA
Dunne suggested that the issues of youth vaping and environmental damage are due in part to lax enforcement of rules designed to prevent such problems. He pointed to recent research by Arcus Compliance showing that fines handed out to retailers for underage and illicit product sales amounted to just over £2,000 ($2,494) in 11 major provincial U.K. cities between 2021-2023.
Dunne also warned of unintended consequences of banning disposable vapes. According to him, the black market already represents over 50 percent of the single use market in the U.K. “This would only accelerate with a ban, he cautioned.
Dunne further highlighted industry efforts to tackle electronic waste, citing research by Waste Experts showing that disposable cigarettes are highly recyclable. “However, the biggest challenge is getting consumers to recycle their vapes and providing the waste disposal facilities in public places and at points of use that will enable higher recycling rates,” he said.
In a note to investors, TD Cowen said a ban on disposable vapes could benefit global tobacco companies with vapor exposure. While multinationals such as British American Tobacco and Philip Morris International have exposure to the disposable vape market in the U.K., category economics are more favorable for pod-based systems, according to the investment bank.
September 12, 2023
VPZ Expands U.K. Footprint
VPZ, the largest vaping retailer in the U.K., will be increasing its footprint to over 160 stores by opening 15 new stores across the U.K. by the end of 2023.
The growth comes amid VPZ’s launch of its new vape recycling service in partnership with WasteCare across all its stores in response to the rising environmental concerns over disposable vapes.
“We are delighted to be continuing our brand expansion and mission of supporting adult smokers to quit whilst bringing our own innovative recycling services to tackle the negative environmental impact of disposable vaping,” said Doug Mutter, director at VPZ.
VPZ is also calling on the U.K. government to introduce tighter controls and licensing for selling vaping products both in physical and online retail environments.
To date, Edinburgh-based VPZ has already helped over 700,000 smokers in the U.K. quit since it was established in 2012, according to the retailer.
In March, VPZ said it planned to have opened 20 additional stores by the end of the year as its expansion plans continue.
September 12, 2023
Study: Vape Litter Out of Control

Photo: bennyrobo
The majority of single-use vapes are disposed of improperly, with the number increasing, according to a Material Focus study.
“Since we last published our research, the problem with single-use vapes has gotten further out of control,” said Scott Butler, executive director of Material Focus. “Single-use vapes are a strong contender for being the most environmentally wasteful, damaging and dangerous consumer product ever made. And still very few producers and retailers comply with environmental regulations and haven’t put recycling drop-off points and systems in place. This all means that too often local authorities are being burdened with the major operational and financial headaches associated with what is now the fastest growing and most dangerous waste stream in the U.K., single-use vapes.
“Vapes, like any other electrical with a plug, battery or cable, should never be binned and always be recycled as a minimum. We need rapid growth in the number of accessible and visible vape recycling drop-off points. And we need proper financing of genuine recycling solutions to recover materials and manage fire risks. The solution is clear: immediate, significant and transparent vape industry voluntary action in advance of planned regulatory changes already earmarked by Defra. The U.K. needs more accessible recycling drop-off points in stores, in parks, in public spaces near offices, bars and pubs, and in schools, colleges and universities. With 75 percent of vapers thinking that producers and retailers should provide more information that states that vapes can be recycled, the word ‘disposable’ should no longer be used in any marketing and promotion.
“Until single-use vape producers, importers and retailers act to genuinely comply with and finance their legal environmental responsibilities, then the calls for banning the sale of them will only strengthen.”
The U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) acknowledged the environmental challenge posted by single-use vape and said it was committed to helping develop solutions to the problem.
“We welcome the solutions put forward by Material Focus and are leading industry action in a number of these areas and more,” the UKVIA wrote in a statement. “Education of consumers about how to recycle single-use vapes; product innovations that enhance recycling rates; compliance with the current regulations; and investment in waste collection points at point of use and not just at point of sale are all critical in reducing the environmental impact of single-use vapes.
“We must protect the environment while also recognizing the contribution disposable vapes have made in helping adult smokers start on their quit journeys, in turn helping to achieve the government’s 2030 smoke-free ambition. The devices are one of the main reasons why for a second year running, smoking rates have hit record low levels in Great Britain, according to Office of National Statistics data published this week. Cigarettes are also still the single most littered item on the planet. Over a billion smokers worldwide discard a combined 4.5 trillion cigarette butts every year.
“Over 250 people die every day in the U.K. from smoking, and cigarettes cost the NHS [National Health Service] around £2.6 billion [$3.25 billion] every year; this is a huge price to pay, and disposable vapes offer a highly effective, proven and considerably less harmful alternative than conventional cigarettes because of their accessibility, ease of use and price points.”
The UKVIA added that they will be launching a “Sustainable Vaping Week” to help educate e-cigarette users about proper disposal of single-use, and other, devices.
Secondhand Smoke Can Increase Lead Levels: Study
Secondhand smoke may be a source of chronic lead exposure in children and adolescents, according to a recent BMC Public Health study.
The study analyzed national data on blood lead levels and secondhand smoke exposure in children and teenagers ages 6 to 19 from 2015 to 2018. Levels of lead and cotinine were assessed, and it was found that average blood lead levels in what was considered the intermediate and high tobacco smoke exposure groups were 18 percent and 29 percent higher, respectively, than levels in the lowest tobacco smoke exposure group. The study also showed that a larger number of boys had detectable lead levels as well as a larger number of Black children and adolescents compared to other ethnic groups studied.
Children aged 6 to 10 were more likely to have elevated lead levels than older subjects, and children in low-income households had a 27 percent higher lead level than children from high-income households.
This lead exposure creates a dangerous situation for youth; lead does not dilute when exposure decreases and the body does not naturally excrete the metal. Lead accumulates in the bones and leaches into blood, and exposure can lead to numerous neurological problems like nerve damage, cognitive problems, loss of IQ points and potentially Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia. The only way to remove lead from the body is through an oral medical treatment, according to the Conversation.

September 8, 2023
Cautious Welcome for U.K. Insert Proposal
Photo: Tobacco Reporter archive
Smokers’ rights campaigners have given a cautious welcome to a U.K. government proposal to add pack inserts to tobacco products to encourage more smokers to quit.
On August 14, the British government launched a consultation on a proposal the plan, which calls for adding leaflets inside cigarette packs to encourage smokers to quit, telling them they could enhance their life expectance and save lots of money if they abandon smoking.
Tobacco-related harms are estimated to cost British taxpayers an estimated £18 billion every year, including over £1.72 billion in costs to the state-funded National Health Service.
SImon Clark
“If the inserts provide constructive information about quitting there is some merit in the idea,” said Simon Clark, director of the smokers’ group Forest.
“For example, inserting information about reduced risk products such as e-cigarettes, heated tobacco and nicotine pouches would make a lot of sense.
“Targeting consumers with more anti-smoking messages, which are on the pack already, risks warning fatigue and won’t work.”
While welcoming the proposal in principle, Clark expressed concern about who would bear the expense of adding the inserts. “If the cost is passed on to consumers, who already pay punitive rates of taxation on tobacco, it may be counterproductive because more smokers will switch to illicit tobacco products that won’t have inserts added,” he said.
The pack inserts envisioned by the British government are already used in Canada, Australia and Israel, among other countries.
August 14, 2023
Brexit Boosted Illicit Trade Conditions

Photo: J
The United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union has increased the risk of illegal tobacco trade, reports Wales Online, citing a new report by Public Health Wales (PHW).
For starters, Brexit had reduced the U.K.’s access to EU databases for identifying criminals and illicit activity across Europe, potentially reducing its ability to detect and prevent illicit trade. And while being outside the EU allows the U.K. to implement additional checks at its borders, this advantage could be undermined by the government’s proposed freeports in Wales. Featuring fewer checks and regulations, these facilities are designed to boost international trade but can also be exploited by criminals, according to PHW.
In addition, international trade agreements currently under negotiation have the potential to create new supply routes and opportunities for criminal exploitation, according to the report. Brexit also has the potential to shape the demand for illicit tobacco by increasing risk of unemployment in sectors highly exposed to trade and poorer mental health due to uncertainty. Stress and poverty are associated with higher rates of smoking.
“To effectively reduce the illicit trade of alcohol, tobacco and drugs in the U.K. and Wales and benefit population health and well-being, strategies will need to reduce both the supply and demand of these goods, and this will mean taking account of the potential impact of Brexit on both factors,” said Louisa Petchey, senior policy specialist at the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre at Public Health Wales.
“This includes understanding its impact on supply chains, border controls and law enforcement cooperation. It also means responding to the ways in which Brexit may have negatively impacted on health and well-being in Wales to decrease demand for these goods in the first place.”
June 15, 2023
Shipper Responsible for Tax on Stolen Cigarettes

Photo: Siwakorn1933
JTI Polska is responsible for hundreds of thousands of pounds in excise duties on cigarettes stolen during transport, the U.K. Supreme Court ruled June 14, reports Law360.
Thieves took 289 cases from a JTI Polska vehicle parked at a U.K. service station during a trip from Poland to Jakubowski in the U.K.
Jakubowski sought to recover from JTI the excise tax of about £450,000 ($570 million) owed on the stolen goods.
The ruling in a similar case that determined which party pays the tax in the event goods are stolen remains valid, and there is no pressing reason to overturn it, the court said.
June 15, 2023