United Kingdom - Tobacco Reporter

Campaigners Against Ban on U.K. Cig Sales

Campaigners have slammed the suggestion that a future Labour government could ban the sale of cigarettes to eradicate smoking by 2030.

Speaking to the BBC, shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said Labour would consult on banning the sale of cigarettes.

Simon Clark, director of the smokers’ rights group Forest, condemned the idea.

“The health risks of smoking are well known, but it’s a legitimate habit that millions of adults enjoy,” he said. “Banning the sale of cigarettes to future generations won’t stop people smoking. It would merely drive the sale of tobacco underground and into the hands of criminal gangs.”

Clark pointed out that current U.K. smoking rates are the lowest on record and an increasing number of smokers are switching voluntarily to reduced-risk products like e-cigarettes without government intervention.

“Given all the problems facing the NHS [National Health Service] and the country at large, it’s laughable to think that tackling smoking might be considered a priority for a future Labour government,” said Clark.

During the BBC interview, Streeting said more radical options were needed as the U.K. was set to miss its target of being “smoke-free” by 2030.

“One of the things that was recommended to the government in one of their own reviews was phasing out the sale of cigarettes altogether over time. We will be consulting on that and a whole range of other measures,” said Streeting.

Streeting said he would pay close attention to the results of a recently announced law in New Zealand that makes it illegal to sell tobacco to anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 2009.

Under the new rules, which take effect this year, the country’s smoking age of 18 would be raised year by year until it applied to the whole population. Beginning in 2023, those under 15 would be barred from buying cigarettes for the rest of their lives.

“I am genuinely curious,” he said. “If we are going to get the NHS back on track, we need to focus on public health.”

Streeting’s comments follow a review ordered by Sajid Javid when he was health secretary, which listed 15 measures to give the U.K. its “best chance” of hitting a national target of making the U.K. smoke-free by 2030.

January 9, 2023

Bristol Mayor Vetoes ‘Navy Cut’ Road

Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees vetoed naming a South Bristol road after a tobacco product following pushback from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), reports Bristol Live.

The road was set to be named Navy Cut Road after a brand produced by the Imperial Brands tobacco factory that formerly occupied that area. After ASH said that was “morally unacceptable,” however, Rees vetoed the name in favor of naming the road after Florence Mills Brown, the first female lord mayor.

Councilor Richard Eddy criticized the move, saying that Mayor Rees is “imposing” his will on the citizens of the area.

“Having served on Bristol City Council for 30 years, it does not escape me that, contrary to all previous practice, your team is not seeking the views of my local community and its elected councilors on a proposed street-naming within my neighborhood,” Eddy wrote in an email.

“Whilst I’m sure former Lord Mayor Florence Brown was a creditworthy woman, why name a road here after a Labour politician who represented two wards miles away in North Bristol and has no discernible links to Bishopsworth?

“This is not just a small disagreement over street naming in a southern city suburb, but it goes to the heart of the debate about whether Bristol should be ruled by one man with a ‘God complex’ or whether local communities and their duly elected councilors should determine their own destinies.”

December 8, 2022

U.K. Smoking Levels at All Time Low

U.K. smoking levels have fallen to just 13.3 percent—the lowest since records began—according to new government data that says vaping played a “major role” in the decline.

The latest data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) shows that the smoking rate for 2021 is down from the previous low of 14 percent in 2020, which means that there are around 6.6 million smokers in the U.K.

The ONS said this was the lowest proportion of current smokers since records started in 2011, based on estimates from the Annual Population Survey.

The report said: “Vaping devices such as e-cigarettes have played a major role in the decrease in smoking prevalence in the U.K.

“In this bulletin, we have reported an increase in e-cigarette use, and organizations such as Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) have reported similar increases in e-cigarettes (vapes) usage among adults in Great Britain.”

In the U.K. as a whole, 15.1 percent of men and 11.5 percent of women smoked, a trend that has been consistent since 2011.

The 25–34 age group had the highest proportion of current smokers (15.8 percent) while those aged 65 and over came in lowest (8 percent).

People without qualifications were more likely to be current smokers (28.2 percent) than those whose highest level of education was a degree or equivalent (6.6 percent).

Among respondents to the ONS survey, 7.7 percent said they currently used an e-cigarette daily or occasionally.

According to the authors, this equates to around 4 million adults in the population, an increase on the estimate from 2020, when 6.4 percent of people reported daily or occasional e-cigarette use.

“This is absolutely fantastic news, and I am delighted that the U.K.’s vaping industry is playing its part in making this happen.”

John Dunne, director general, UKVIA

Tobacco harm reduction advocates were elated by the decline in smoking. “This is absolutely fantastic news, and I am delighted that the U.K.’s vaping industry is playing its part in making this happen,” said John Dunne, director general of the U.K. Vaping Industry Association, in a statement.

“The government must now redouble its efforts to ensure that it gets its 2030 smoke-free ambitions back on track so that smoking can finally be consigned to history.”

Dunne said stakeholders should capitalize on the momentum by reaching out to remaining smokers and giving them the facts that they need to make the switch to vaping. “We must allow vape companies to use agreed health claims and switching messages to encourage adult smokers to switch to e-cigarettes and make full use of the different methods of communication available to the government and public health bodies,” he said.

December 7, 2022

Vape Sector Boosts U.K. Economy: Report

The vape industry has had a considerable positive impact on the U.K. economy, according to a new report compiled by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) on behalf of the U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA).

Valued at £2.8 billion ($3.36 billion) in 2021, the U.K. vape sector supports almost 18,000 full-time-equivalent jobs in retail, manufacturing and supply chain. What’s more, smokers abandoning cigarettes in favor of less harmful e-cigarettes have saved the National Health Service (NHS) more than £300 million in 2019 alone, according to the report.

Even as many businesses suffered in recent years, vape retail stores have bucked the trend and represent one of the biggest growing sectors since the first decade of the 21st century when they started to appear for the first time.

From 2017 to 2021, the U.K. vape sector’s turnover grew by 23.4 percent to £1.33 billion last year alone. When indirect economic benefits such as supply chain support and the spending power of vape sector workers is factored in, the economic impact more than doubles.

In 2021, the vaping industry paid £310 million in taxes to the British exchequer.

CEBR estimates that the vaping sector saved the U.K. £322 million in smoking-related healthcare costs in 2019. The research organization reckons that if 50 percent of smokers switched to vaping, the potential healthcare savings would have been £698 million in 2020.

Meanwhile, the gain in economic productivity associated with smokers switching to using vaping products was estimated to be £1.3 billion in 2019. If 50 percent of remaining U.K. smokers switched to vaping, this would increase to £3.33 billion, according to the study.

“In little over a decade, vaping in the U.K. has grown from very much a ‘cottage industry’ to one of the fastest growing sectors in not just retail but the whole economy.”

John Dunne, director general, UKVIA

“The findings of the vaping industry’s first ever economic impact report demonstrates its significant success as a fast-growing disruptive sector,” says Owen Good, head of economic advisory at CEBR.

“Whilst many high street retailers have suffered in recent years, the vaping sector has bucked the trend, with significant growth both in-store and online. Even the effects of the pandemic have not significantly hampered the sector’s growth.

“The sector’s growth has been hugely beneficial to the U.K. economy; businesses and their employees directly involved in the industry and those running operations across the wider supply chain; and the NHS, which has seen a massive cost saving with increasing numbers of smokers switching to vaping in order to quit their habits.”

“In little over a decade, vaping in the U.K. has grown from very much a ‘cottage industry’ to one of the fastest growing sectors in not just retail but the whole economy,” said UKVIA Director General John Dunne in a statement.

“More people than ever are vaping, and by all measures, this is a true British success story, creating employment and wealth, generating precious revenue for the government through taxation while at the same time saving the NHS more than £300 million a year through people switching from smoking to vaping.”

November 29, 2022

Elfbar Warns of Fake Vapes

Potentially dangerous counterfeit disposable vaping products are flooding into the U.K. market, according to an investigation by Elfbar, a Chinese manufacturer. The company warns retailers and consumers that the illegal products are produced in “squalid Chinese factories with no license for manufacturing and regard for product safety.”

Since June 2021, Elfbar has cracked down on more than 120 counterfeit production and sales targets, including factories, warehouses, logistics and foreign trade companies. Its actions have resulted in the seizure of more than 2 million finished counterfeit Elfbar products, millions of packaging boxes, anti-counterfeit codes, semi-finished vaping pipes and other accessories, according to the company.

Elfbar CEO Victor Xiao said consumers would be horrified if they saw the conditions in which these products are made. “The criminals behind these counterfeit products care nothing about product safety or the health of consumers, and they cut every corner possible to maximize their profits,” he said in a statement. “Quite frankly, the conditions in these factories are absolutely squalid, where workers man production lines in filthy conditions with no regard to hygiene at all.”

Elfbar said that manufacturers and retailers have an important role in protecting consumers.

“While it can be hard to tell a fake product from the real thing just by looking at it, there is no excuse for any retailer to sell a counterfeit Elfbar product. Retailers can scan a code on the packaging to check the authenticity of the product, and we urge them to do this for every product they sell,” Xiao said.

John Dunne, director general of the U.K. Vaping Industry Association, applauded Elfbar for standing up against the counterfeiters.

“They pose a significant risk to the harm reduction reputation of the global vaping industry,” he said. “It’s why we have called for a retail licensing scheme here in the U.K. to prevent the sale of illicit products and much higher penalties of at least £10,000 [$12,058] per instance for retailers who break the law in this way,” he said. “Similarly, the counterfeiters and those who trade fake vapes along the supply chain need dealing with in a way by the relevant authorities that put them off from doing it ever again.”

November 29, 2022

Ploom X Debuts in the United Kingdom

Japan Tobacco International has launched its Ploom X heated-tobacco device at select locations in the United Kingdom, the company announced in a press release. This product is now available in the Greater London area, at pop-up stores in Shoreditch, online nationwide and in selected online vape stores.

According to JTI, Ploom X represents the cutting edge of the next generation of heated-tobacco products. Technological upgrades include:

A redesigned “HeatFlow” system and a higher heating temperature to ensure a more consistent nicotine delivery and a more enhanced flavor delivery;
One easy-to-use heating mode;
Adjustments to the airflow system enabling a more consistent vapor delivery and increased vapor volume;
Session times of up to 5 minutes and the ability to use more EVO tobacco sticks per charge, with up to 22 sessions with one charge; and
A smaller and more compact device. Users can customize the device with colorful magnetic front panels.

According to JTI, Ploom X reduces the level of nine smoke constituents by an average of 90 percent to 95 percent.

Ploom devices are designed to be used exclusively with EVO tobacco sticks, which contain a tobacco blend made from microground and fine-cut tobacco.

With 20 sticks in a pack and a recommended retail price of £4.50, EVO costs less than half the price of a pack of cigarettes in the U.K. EVO tobacco sticks are available in classic tobacco, menthol, and fruit and menthol infusions. The company also offers capsule variants that offer consumers the option to release an additional burst of flavor.

“The launch of Ploom X marks a milestone in JTI’s story and also sets a new paradigm in the heated-tobacco category,” said JTI Director of Marketing Mark McGuinness. “Ploom X is a truly innovative product that will exceed consumer expectations, making their tobacco moments even more pleasurable and truly unique.”

November 3, 2022

Think Tank Publishes Alternative Strategy

Ahead of the Nov. 3 parliamentary debate on the independent review of smoke-free 2030 policies, the Institute for Economic Affairs (IEA) has published an alternative strategy to reduce the smoking rate in England, titled The Alternative Smoke-Free 2030 Plan.

This approach stands in contrast with the recent Khan Review, which recommended banning the sale of cigarettes over time. Report author Christopher Snowdon argues that as long as demand exists—only 53 percent of British smokers say they want to quit—prohibitionist policies will result in endemic black market activity, crime and secondary poverty without eradicating smoking.

The alternative 12-point plan emphasizes the success of vaping and other safer alternatives in getting people off cigarettes. In Britain, where 9.3 percent of adults now vape, the smoking rate has dropped from 20 percent to 14 percent since 2012, according to the IEA. In the EU, where only 2 percent of adults vape, smoking prevalence fell by just 1 percent between 2014 and 2020. As of this year, 28 percent of smokers have never even tried an e-cigarette. Removing barriers to consumers accessing low-risk nicotine alternatives is vital.

Snowdon, the IEA’s head of lifestyle economics, recommends that the government tackle pervasive misinformation about the risks of e-cigarettes. Currently, 40 percent of English smokers falsely believe that nicotine causes cancer, and the number of smokers who wrongly think that vaping is as or more dangerous than smoking rose from 36 percent to 53 percent between 2014 and 2020. This is despite the fact that the Royal College of Physicians concluded that the long-term risks are “unlikely to exceed 5 percent of the harm from smoking tobacco.” The government should ensure that public health bodies promote the benefits of vaping relative to smoking.

Snowdon also proposes that the government embrace the freedom provided by Brexit to reform the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD). Article 20 of the TPD exacts punitive regulations on e-cigarettes, covering everything from advertising to the size of refillable vape tanks. According to Snowdon, cutting this red tape will lift powerful barriers to access.

Smokers could also be encouraged to quit by reducing the red tape burdens on other low-risk tobacco alternatives such as snus, heated-tobacco and nicotine pouches. These products are subjected to overzealous regulation, with snus outlawed in the U.K.

The U.K. has generally regulated e-cigarettes sensibly, according to the IEA. But with a greater focus on articulating the benefits of switching to low-risk tobacco alternatives and relaxing the associated regulatory regime, smoking may truly become obsolete, the think tank argues.

“The government’s plan to slash the smoking rate to 5 percent by 2030 is wholly unrealistic unless smokers switch to low-risk alternatives in large numbers,” says Snowdon. “Fortunately, a growing range of alternatives exist. All the government needs to do is create a regulatory environment in which they can flourish and ensure that smokers are not misled by fake news. There are a dozen simple, low-cost reforms that could be implemented that would help the government meet its health objectives without persecuting smokers.”

November 2, 2022

Liz Truss’ Chief of Staff Recuses Himself from Smoking Policy Talks

The chief of staff to U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss has recused himself from discussions about changes to the government’s smoking strategy due to his past work as a tobacco industry lobbyist.

Mark Fullbrook, the prime minister’s most senior adviser, has worked on behalf of Philip Morris and BAT.

Fullbrook told Sky News he will have “no involvement whatsoever” in government smoking policy.

“Number 10 has questions to answer about the involvement of Mark Fullbrook and any other former lobbyists for Big Tobacco in the decision to drop plans to tackle smoking,” said Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting.

“The health secretary must also be clear about her own tobacco industry connections.”

According to The Guardian, Health Secretary Therese Coffey also intends to break her predecessor’s promise to publish an action plan to tackle smoking.

The paper writes that Coffey has previously accepted hospitality from the tobacco industry. Since becoming a Member of Parliament in 2010, she has voted in the House of Commons against an array of measures to restrict smoking, including the ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces, the outlawing of smoking in cars containing children and forcing cigarettes to be sold in plain packs.

On Oct. 18, Coffey was unable to confirm if she was scrapping the plan. The Department of Health insists “no decisions have been taken.”

October 19, 2022

‘U.K. Unlikely to Act on Khan Report’

The U.K. government is unlikely to enact the actions recommended by Javed Khan in his recent report on smoking, according to an article in The Guardian citing insiders.

The British government has committed to make the country “smoke-free” by 2030. This is defined as getting the proportion of adults who smoke down from 14.1 percent to just 5 percent.

Published in June, Khan’s report says that ministers need to accelerate the reduction in smoking by 40 percent if they want to hit the 2030 target. Among other actions, he recommended raising the legal age of buying tobacco by a year every year and imposing a new “polluter pays” levy on tobacco firms and requiring sellers of tobacco products to have a license.

According to The Guardian, U.K. Health Secretary Therese Coffey also intends to break her predecessor’s promise to publish an action plan to tackle smoking.

The paper writes that Coffey has previously accepted hospitality from the tobacco industry. Since becoming a Member of Parliament in 2010, she has voted in the House of Commons against an array of measures to restrict smoking, including the ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces, the outlawing of smoking in cars containing children and forcing cigarettes to be sold in plain packs.

The Department of Health and Social Care said it was “inaccurate” to suggest that the tobacco control plan was being dropped—but did not say if or when it would publish it.

Labour and anti-smoking campaigners voiced alarm at the potential U-turn over the tobacco control plan. It follows a Treasury-ordered review of measures to tackle obesity and Coffey scrapping a promised white paper on health inequalities.

October 13, 2022

Record Seizure of Illegal Cigarettes at Hull Port

British Customs authorities reported the largest-ever seizure of illegal tobacco in the United Kingdom when a sniffer dog found 99 million illicit cigarettes in the Port of Hull, reports BBC News.

The illegal products were in eight shipping containers said to have been shipped through the United Arab Emirates. The cigarettes were worth about £44 million ($48.56 million) in unpaid taxes, according to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Import documents falsely labeled the shipping containers as carrying birchwood logs.

“This is the single largest seizure of cigarettes ever made at a U.K. port,” said Anthony Usher, deputy director of HMRC’s fraud investigation service. “Our streets would have been flooded with them had they not been discovered.

“Cheap cigarettes come at a cost as they often fund organized crime and other illegal activity that causes real harm to our communities, such as drugs, guns and human trafficking.”

October 10, 2022

Tag: United Kingdom