IBVTA Chairman Interviewed About Vape Marketing Crackdown
The UK government has officially launched a vape marketing crackdown on how e-cigarettes can be made less attractive to children. Heath Secretary Steve Barclay has unveiled plans that will prevent e-cigarettes from looking ‘like sweets’ in an effort to reduce the appeal to underage vapers. The consultation will last for eight weeks and aims to collect evidence that will shape government policy in the future.
In a recent interview on Good Morning Britain[1], Barclay said that “vapes do have a role to play in terms of adults who smoke. But, we’re clear that this targeting of children through vapes… is wrong”. Suggestions include banning disposables or making vapes prescription only. The problem with this is that it could heavily impact the number of adults who switch to vaping. Barclay states that during this consultation, the government will be looking at international best practice. Seeing as how Australia’s prescription only model has negatively impacted vapers, this will be unlikely to be used in the UK. The Health Secretary also claimed that the purpose of this consultation is to strike a balance between allowing adults access to vaping and protecting children from it. He also added “for people that don’t smoke, they shouldn’t vape”.
The IBVTA Response
In response to the announcement, the Independent British Vape Trade Association supports the call for change. However, they noted that based on their research, 72% of ex-smokers and 56% of regular smokers believe disposables help people cut down on smoking. Chairman Marcus Saxton noted:
Policy goes too far and takes away a vital smoking cessation product when simply enforcing existing rules might be just as impactful. As an industry, we recognise that youth vaping needs to be tackled.
The IBVTA recently launched a campaign aimed at raising awareness of these issues. It also demonstrates the ways in which industry can support the government in cracking down on illegal products, underage sales and littering. In order to raise awareness and support the campaign, Marcus has appeared on various radio interviews, including: BBC Sounds[7], 5Live and Talk TV[8].
In response to the government consultation, Marcus has also said:
We stand ready to work with the government on these issues and welcome the opening of this consultation which gives industry, as well as consumers and others, the chance to have their say. Getting the policy right here is key to building a safe and sustainable industry that can continue to support smoking cessation across the UK.
See also…
In Conclusion
The vape marketing crackdown could result in plain packaging, banning flavours, or making disposables illegal. Hopefully this won’t be the case, and the government will take the advice of organisations like the IBVTA. It has been proven that they are a valid smoking cessation tool. Instead, the focus should be on stopping retailers from illegally selling them to underage vapers and eliminating the importation of non TRPR compliant devices.
Sources
[1] Good Morning Britain (2023). 4:30. Health Secretary Steve Barclay On Banning Vapes, Overcrowded Prisons, And Gaza.
[2] Wirral Globe (2023). Health Secretary vows to tackle marketing of vapes ‘like sweets’ to children.
[3] Jersey Evening Post (2023). Health Secretary vows to tackle marketing of vapes ‘like sweets’ to children.
[4] The Independent (2023). Health Secretary vows to tackle marketing of vapes ‘like sweets’ to children.
[5] Talking Retail (2023). Vape industry welcomes government consultation on future of industry.
[6] Mail Online (2023). Health Secretary Steve Barclay vows to stop vapes ‘looking like sweets’ and says habit is ‘wrong for kids’.
[7] BBC Sounds (2023). 1:51:30. Waking up the county with the very latest news, sport and information for Lancashire.
[8] LinkedIn, Totally Wicked (2023). Totally Wicked CEO and Independent British Vape Trade Association Chairman, Marcus Saxton spoke across several Media outlets yesterday.
