The U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) has joined forces with the stop-smoking app Smoke Free to encourage more smokers to give up their habit by using a range of evidence-based alternatives to conventional cigarettes.
As part of the collaboration, the UKVIA and Smoke Free have agreed to work on a number of joint campaigns and initiatives that both promote vaping as a successful method to quit smoking and increase access to the app among those smokers looking to kick their habit.
The joint initiatives include a campaign in January, when smokers will be making New Year’s resolutions to quit. Collaborations are also planned during VApril, the UKVIA’s annual vaping awareness month and on a specific initiative supporting hospital patients with smoking-related conditions and the healthcare professionals that care for them.
This is an exciting collaboration, which is focused on getting smokers to quit completely
“This is an exciting collaboration, which is focused on getting smokers to quit completely,” said John Dunne, director-general of the UKVIA, in a statement. “Some 2.4 million former smokers have successfully done this in the U.K. to date, but there are still 1.2 million dual vape/cigarette users and another 6.9 million smokers who have not quit to date.
“By coming together, we want to significantly ramp up support for smokers who are looking to quit.”
“Vapes make quitting easy because they’re a great replacement for cigarettes,” said David Crane, founder of the app. “But habits still need to be changed, which is where the support we provide comes in. We are proud to work with the UKVIA because they share our mission to create a smoke-free world. Together, we stand a great chance of helping people stop smoking for good.”
The U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) has issued compliance guidance for U.K. retailers who sell disposable vape products. Earlier, the association had called on regulators to crack down on resellers and retailers who were found to be flouting U.K. regulations for such products.
An investigation by the UKVIA has revealed mounting evidence of illicit and inappropriately branded disposable vape products hitting the U.K. market and noncompliant sales of such products, particularly in convenience shops and on major online marketplaces. U.K. regulations mean they should contain no more than 20mg/ml of nicotine, yet evidence collected by the UKVIA reveals that some listed as this amount contain higher concentrations of nicotine and some products are being openly sold with 50mg/ml strength. Furthermore, product packaging is not including warnings about the nicotine content, which is a legal requirement.
The association has been in discussions with the Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency and Trading Standards to address the problem.
“We are doing all we can as a trade association to ensure the industry’s reputation is not tarnished by a minority of resellers and retailers intent on making a quick buck out of a trending product,” said John Dunne, director general of the UKVIA, in a statement. “Whilst disposables have a major role to play in the vape market, like all products they need to adhere to the legislation.
“Our guidance is designed to ensure retailers keep on the right side of the law. We’re also working closely and are in discussions with leading disposable vape product manufacturers and the major online marketplaces to ensure they play a key role in taking a hard line against those behind the sale of non-compliant products in the country.”
The free guide, available for download here, which has been produced in conjunction with leading vaping compliance specialists, Arcus Compliance, provides information on current UK regulations in relation to tank/reservoir capacity of devices, nicotine levels and the elements that must be contained on packaging. It also provides details in respect to registrations with and notifications from the MHRA.
The U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) is calling for tough action against resellers of noncompliant disposable vape products.
During an investigation, the trade group found that there are significant numbers of noncompliant products entering the U.K. and being sold in particular by convenience shops and on major online marketplaces.
“We are calling upon regulators and the online marketplaces to robustly enforce current regulations and do much more in order to ‘clean up’ the disposable vapes market,” said John Dunne, director general at the UKVIA, in a statement.
The disposable vape sector has enjoyed a significant revival in recent years, appealing as an entry point for adult smokers looking to quit conventional cigarettes. However, an investigation by the UKVIA has identified that illegal products are re-entering the U.K. market. The problem, according to the group, lies with some distributors who are flouting U.K. regulations and managing to get these products imported into the country and sell them onto traders and retailers; as well as a lack of proper scrutiny on major online marketplaces.
Disposable vapes are pre-filled with e-liquids and cost around £6 ($8.27) each. U.K. regulations stipulate that they should contain no more than 20mg/ml of nicotine, yet evidence collected by the UKVIA reveals that some listed as this amount contain higher concentrations of nicotine and some products are being openly sold with 50mg/ml strength. Furthermore, product packaging is often missing warnings about the nicotine content, which is a legal requirement.
The UKVIA has been in discussions with the Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which regulates vape products and trading standards, to address the situation. In a major crackdown on unscrupulous suppliers, the association is providing guidance on official distributors and disposable vape products to its members as well as looking at the idea of licensing vape shops to fund enforcement. It’s also working with manufacturers of disposable vapes to ensure they are doing all that is possible to monitor and audit their distributors.
“Robust enforcement of the current regulations is the only answer and it’s needed now,” said Dunne. “We can provide support to the regulators and educate the industry on how to distinguish between what’s a compliant product or not; and we are in the process of doing this. However, we are not in a position to come down heavy on those breaking the law; that lies with the regulators.
“The vaping sector’s reputation, that the industry has taken years to build up, and which has made it one of the most successful business markets in the 21st century to date, is being threatened by a minority intent on making a quick buck out of a popular product, and we will not stand back and just watch it happen. Disposables have a major role to play in the vape market, but like all products they need to adhere to the legislation.”
The government agency overseeing the U.K.’s e-cigarettes and refill containers notification scheme as well as implementing the Tobacco and related Products Regulations (TRPR) has updated guidance on the sale of vaping products following discussions with the U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) and Trading Standards.
The UKVIA decided to intervene after being approached by a significant number of vape products manufacturers, distributors and retailers confused about what could and could not be legally sold in shops, particularly following the recent surge in new disposable vapes entering the U.K. market.
As a result, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has now clarified its advice to both manufacturers and distributors of e-liquids and devices and vaping retailers.
The UKVIA took part discussions with the MHRA and Trading Standards following concerns raised by retailers unsure of their compliance requirements and wary of falling foul of the law.
“Due to the numerous enquiries we received about the legality of stocking new-to-the-market products, in particular the surge in new disposables, we decided it was imperative to talk to Trading Standards and raise this with the MRHA to seek clarification,” said John Dunne, director general of the UKVIA, in a statement.
“Since then, we have been working with the MHRA to clarify the process around when products can legally be placed on the market for sale.
“The first part saw the MHRA issue an e-bulletin clearly setting out the process and making it unambiguous that it is illegal to place products into the market until the ‘ECID’ numbers are published on the MHRA website as ‘approved/declared’
“Next the MHRA updated its online advice for retailers, which is a highly satisfactory outcome as it effectively closes the loophole for when brands can place the product on the market and when a retailer can legally sell the product.”
The MHRA’s guidance for vaping retailers previously read:
“When sourcing new supplies of any e-cigarette or e-liquid product, check that details of the notification for the product have been published in the list of Notified Products.
“If you cannot find the product on the MHRA’s website, ask your supplier to confirm that the product complies with the TRPR and has been notified to the MHRA. If a producer has not notified the product or it does not comply with the TRPR, they may not supply it to you.”
The new wording says:
When sourcing new supplies of any e-cigarette or e-liquid product, check that a compliant notification has been published in one of the Notified Product lists above.
If you cannot find the product on the MHRA’s website, ask your supplier to confirm that it has been published and provide details to enable you to confirm the product’s status. If a product has yet to achieve publication status, they may not supply it to you.
Dunne said the clarification demonstrates the effectiveness of open dialogue.
“We want our sector to be known for upholding strict standards when it comes to the manufacture, distribution and sale of vaping products and this clarification from the MHRA can leave no one in any doubt about where their responsibilities lie,” he said.
The MHRA’s full wording on the sale of vaping products is available here.
The U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) is asking members of parliament to champion the public health benefits of vaping as the Department of Health and Social Care looks to publish a new Tobacco Control Plan (TCP) later this year, to support the government’s Smokefree 2030 ambition
The U.K. House of Commons will debate the “Recommendations for the forthcoming Tobacco Control Plan” on June 10.
According to the UKVIA, the upcoming debate is a huge opportunity to refocus efforts in ensuring that England achieves its aim of becoming smokefree by 2030. The U.K. is estimated to have a smoking prevalence of 14.1 percent and the forthcoming Tobacco Control Plan is a chance to see this number decrease further, particularly in light of an uptake during the pandemic period, the association writes in template letter to local MPs.
The UKVIA letter urges MPs to make the following points during the debate:
The government must seize the opportunity presented by the U.K. having left the European Union. With the ongoing review of the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations (TRPR), and the forthcoming TCP, the government has the opportunity to diverge from EU law governing tobacco and nicotine policy to level up on health inequalities across the U.K. Independence allows for U.K. regulations to stay relevant, be easily adapted to changing consumer trends and any market and technological developments, with greater ease and less bureaucracy.
The government’s forthcoming TCP should be based on the significant and growing body of evidence showing vaping to be an effective alternative for smokers looking to quit and should cement the concept of harm reduction, placing the U.K. as the global leader in tobacco harm reduction. Vaping is twice as effective as other nicotine replacement therapies, such as gum and patches. Research from University College London has found that e-cigarettes, in one year alone, helped an additional 50,000-70,000 smokers in England quit. Despite the overwhelming and growing evidence in support of e-cigarettes, perceptions of harm from vaping among smokers are increasingly incorrect and out of line with the evidence. This is despite ONS data from Great Britain showing that over half of smokers want to quit.
Misinformation and misperceptions about the relative risk of e-cigarettes must be challenged at every opportunity. To do so, the government must work with industry leaders to develop a series of policies that can help the vaping industry communicate directly with existing adult smokers. It is suggested that approved health claims and switching messages, alongside nicotine health warnings, should be available to vape manufacturers and retailers, to communicate the facts about vaping. Such claims and messages could be used on both device and e-liquid packaging, as well as on posters and leaflets. Similar proposals have been made by the governments of New Zealand and Canada.
In light of the University of East Anglia’s study to trial e-cigarettes in NHS A&E departments, greater support is also needed for medical practitioners. The new TCP should support medical professionals by ensuring that clinicians are signposted to the latest clinical evidence on e-cigarettes and that local stop smoking clinics adopt a consistent approach to the advice given smokers looking to switch to less harmful alternatives and/or quit smoking combustible cigarettes.
“Whilst on one hand the current regulations and the existing TCP have allowed the vaping industry in the U.K. to flourish, on the other, they have hindered the ability of the vaping sector to promote vaping as an effective way of switching to a less harmful alternative, thereby preventing the government achieving the aims set out in the Tobacco Control Plan,” the UKVIA wrote. “Parliamentarians should therefore be advocating for fair and proportionate policies and regulations of e-cigarettes to help reduce inequalities and improve public health.
A year to the day since menthol cigarettes were banned in the U.K. more than two thirds of vapor retailers are reporting a rise in sales of menthol flavored e-liquids according to a study by the U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA).
The ban last year, which also prevented menthol filters, papers and skinny cigarettes from being produced or sold in the U.K., followed a four-year phasing-out period which saw smaller packs of rolling tobacco and 10 packs of cigarette banned in 2017.
The study revealed that more than 70 percent of owners of bricks and mortar stores and online retail operations said they had seen an uptake in demand for menthol vape products.
And, while fruit e-liquids remained the customer favorite, menthol was the second most popular flavor according to the survey.
“What we have witnessed in the U.K. is that menthol as an ingredient in vape e-liquids has continued to increase following the combustible menthol ban and is now one of the most important components of all e-liquids,” said Tim Phillips, independent analyst at ECigIntelligence.
Menthol as an ingredient in vape e-liquids has continued to increase following the combustible menthol ban and is now one of the most important components of all e-liquids.
UKVIA Director-General John Dunne said the survey results were a clear indication of the importance e-cigarettes have in helping smokers to quit their habits in favor of vaping which Public Health England acknowledges is far less harmful than combustible tobacco.
“Our survey of retailers clearly shows that, as menthol cigarettes were removed from sale, vape stores witnessed an increase in sales of the same flavor in e-liquid form,” he said.
“It is not unreasonable to surmise that the majority of menthol e-liquid sales above retailers’ baseline pre-ban were to those who would have previously smoked cigarettes.”
The UKVIA does a commendable job of promoting sensible vapor regulations. Will health authorities listen?
By George Gay
In March, I received a press note entitled, “The U.K. Vaping Industry Association [UKVIA] blasts World Health Organization [WHO] and says it risks becoming an ‘enemy of harm reduction.’”
The UKVIA cannot be described as a militant organization. It has firm ideas, but it prefers to work quietly and closely with the U.K. government, health authorities and anybody else willing to listen to its tale of running businesses that promote tobacco harm reduction while trying to turn a profit. So, the tone of the heading made me sit up.
What the UKVIA objected to in the first instance was what it described as “[r]ecent recommendations made by the WHO study group on Tobacco Product Regulations that would prohibit electronic nicotine[-delivery] and nonnicotine-delivery systems where the user can control device features and liquid ingredients.”
On the face of it, I can certainly understand the UKVIA’s concern. Banning such products would be like banning automobiles with accelerator pedals because they could be used to make a vehicle travel at beyond the speed limit or banning glasses because they could be used to mix mind-altering drugs with lemonade.
It has been said—rightly in my view—that newspapers are organizations that cannot tell the difference between a bicycle accident and a world war. By the same token, it would seem the WHO has become an organization that cannot tell the difference between a pandemic and everyday life—admittedly, life in all its messiness.
The UKVIA said the WHO had called also for a ban on vaping systems that have a higher “abuse liability” than conventional cigarettes have; systems that, for example, allow the user to control the emission rate of nicotine. In this case, I’m so underwhelmed by the sound of the problem that I can assume only that I have misunderstood what is being said here. Isn’t it the case that nicotine uptake is controlled by the inhaler at a subconscious level?
In any case, I cannot see what business this is of the WHO. Does it want to micromanage every aspect of the lives of everybody on the planet? Is it going to start looking into the “abuse liability” of high-performance cars, over-proof alcohol and sickly candy bars? Of course, if it wants to make itself useful and if it is happy working at a national rather than a world level, it could end no amount of inflicted harm by helping to do something about the abuse liability and abuse reality of the many and increasing dictatorial regimes around the world.
Empowered personal choice
The director general of the UKVIA, John Dunne, believes the WHO poses a threat to smoking cessation and harm reduction in the U.K. “While the WHO is scheduled to hold a crucial summit on vaping in November 2021, known as COP9 [the Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)], it continues to find itself at odds with health and industry advocates,” he was quoted in the press note as saying.
“Certain WHO positions are now so out of date, and so thoroughly refuted by the experts, that they may as well be saying the earth is flat. They deviate dramatically from leading experts, including Public Health England (PHE) and Action on Smoking and Health …
John Dunne
“Take for example vaping helping people to quit smoking, which the WHO says there is ‘little evidence’ of. As early as 2019, clinical trials were finding vaping to be almost twice as effective as nicotine-replacement therapy …
“Just this month, … PHE … found in its Vaping Evidence Review 2021 that smoking quit rates involving a vaping product were higher than with any other method in every single English region. For the WHO to hold such contrary views is either bad science or bad faith. Both risk it becoming an enemy of harm reduction.”
Dunne made the point that vaping’s success as an industry, and its potential for public health improvements, were built on empowering personal choice. “Different systems, styles and flavors give consumers the options they need to leave combustible cigarettes behind,” he said. “I would urge the WHO to engage with vapers, to hear their stories and discover the life-changing decisions they’ve made… Prohibition is simply not the answer.”
The press note also said that the U.K. was due to send a delegation to the COP9 summit later this year, the first time it would be attending such a summit since leaving the EU, and it was to be hoped that this would provide an opportunity for it to promote harm-reduction. In addition, it said the UKVIA had been among expert guests invited by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Vaping to advise on the COP9 delegation’s approach.
“The U.K. has a genuine opportunity to promote harm reduction as a valid, progressive strategy for public health on the world stage,” said Dunne. “We must not allow misinformation to undermine this potential, irrespective of the source.”
It is indeed to be hoped that the U.K. delegation to COP9 can bring a little reason to the table, assuming it gets to the table. From what we of the outer dark can ascertain, however, the FCTC does not brook dissent and, as part of its strategy to avoid it, tends to block the attendance at meetings of those not of the true faith. It will be interesting to observe what it will make of a delegation that has been in direct or indirect contact with a vaping body, assuming the delegation does not cave in and join the happy-clappies.
Return to sender
Meanwhile, the UKVIA has a further problem. In another press note in March, it said it was deeply concerned by news that U.K. businesses were being impacted by the U.S.’ “vape mail” ban, part of a congressional spending bill passed under former President Trump. By April 27 [after this report was written], leading carriers, such as UPS, FedEx, DHL and the U.S. Postal Service, were due to be off-limits for vaping shipments.
FedEx had cited “cigarettes, cigars, loose tobacco, smokeless tobacco, hookah or shisha, vaporizers (and) e-cigarettes” as “tobacco products,” which would no longer be accepted. The UPS said it would prohibit “any and all noncombustible liquid or gel, regardless of the presence of nicotine, capable of being used with or for the consumption of nicotine” as well as “all related vape devices, products and accessories …”
Again, we find ourselves in a bizarre world. I take it these bans are somebody’s idea of a health and safety policy, but, with more “premature deaths” worldwide attributed to outdoor pollution than to tobacco consumption, logically, the carriers should ban deliveries of everything—they should remove themselves from the roads, the air and the sea. Or there should at least be an acceptance that both tobacco smoke and vehicle pollution are health hazards and that whereas carriers might be trying to lessen the pollution they create by switching to cleaner vehicles, craft and vessels, the tobacco industry is trying to lessen the amount of tobacco smoke by getting consumers to switch to vaping, a task not made any easier by carrier bans. Of course, there is little the carriers can do to reverse this nonsense, but they could at least have a word with any politician ready to listen.
“The vaping supply chain is a global one, bringing together resources and expertise from around the world,” said Dunne. “It is bitterly disappointing to see these American restrictions having a negative impact in the U.K., but the nature of the supply chain makes it inevitable. In the EU, too, we are hearing of vaping businesses being turned away from major carriers.
“The potential impact on public health is grave as so many people are relying on shipped goods as a lifeline during the pandemic. Without proper access to harm reduction products, we know people can revert to smoking cigarettes, today in the U.S. but perhaps tomorrow in the U.K. With businesses already struggling through lockdown, and our health services under great strain, supply chain issues really are the last thing we need.
“I call on the distribution industry, many of whom have been partners of the vaping industry for many years, to do all they can to support their U.K. customers and to avoid the blanket implementation of U.S. restrictions worldwide.
“Furthermore, I call on the U.K. government to ensure that carriers in this country are free to continue to deliver vaping products to retailers and direct to consumers and to resist any urge to follow the U.S. down this regressive route.”
I take it that the “vape mail” ban is largely about keeping vaping products out of the hands of young people. It’s a strange thing that the activities of adults, which have always been restricted by the need to guard against criminal activities, are now increasingly becoming restricted by perceived threats to young people—often inappropriately referred to as “children” when it becomes necessary to ramp up the emotional blackmail.
Credit: Haiberliu
Such restrictive measures would be acceptable in my view if they were applied across the board, but they are not. Young people are seen by many people in authority as having to be protected against the minuscule threat posed by vaping products while many youngsters are allowed to go hungry, threatening their development and negatively affecting their whole lives.
It would seem that young people are granted protections when those protections do not inconvenience the majority of voters. See how far you would get trying to introduce a 20-mph speed limit in cities so as to cut the number of deaths and injuries suffered by young people in collisions with cars.
The Conservative Party, which has been in government in the U.K. for more than 10 years, has a poor record on child poverty, which has shot up under its governance, and on child hunger, in the face of which it twice provided relief for the neediest children during lockdowns only after being shamed into doing so by a campaigning footballer.
But, on the other hand, it has had a good record in respect of supporting the tobacco harm reduction potential of vaping, and the UKVIA is hoping the situation in the U.K. can be improved further following the country’s exit from the EU.
On March 15, the UKVIA launched its Blueprint for Better Regulation in response to the U.K. government’s consultation on the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations (TRPR) (and the Standardized Packaging of Tobacco Products Regulations), in which it was seeking until March 19 feedback on the effectiveness of the legislation in achieving its objectives and any unintended consequences that may have occurred.
In a foreword to the blueprint, Dunne said the review of the regulations represented a defining moment in the history of the vaping industry, one of the leading market disruptors in the 21st century responsible for a significant decline in smoking across the U.K. It also presented the biggest opportunity yet for the government to create fair and proportionate vaping regulation that supported its 2030 smoke-free target and ensured the sector could make a bigger contribution to the nation’s public health and economy in the future.
To achieve such a goal, the UKVIA needs the help of the government to counter the misinformation currently providing an increasingly powerful drag on efforts to encourage people to switch from smoking to vaping. It needs the government’s help in mounting promotional campaigns aimed at such switching, and its permission to mount its own agreed consumer communication campaigns, including with those buying online. And it needs the freedom in which its members can develop vaping products capable of competing with conventional cigarettes on a nicotine-satisfaction basis.
There is, of course, much more in the UKVIA’s blueprint. No such presentation would be complete without a discussion of the important role flavors play in encouraging people to switch. The blueprint looks at packaging and labeling, descriptors and product quality and safety. It supports age restrictions on the purchase of vaping products and the need to work with trading standards officers in ensuring such restrictions are enforced. And it wants the government to act in relation to vaping in public places.
What are the chances? Well, Dunne appears to be confident, and, as is mentioned above, the government has in the past been supportive of the tobacco harm reduction argument made in respect of vaping; so it could be willing to work with at least some the UKVIA’s ideas, perhaps all of them. But caution must be advised.
Two skills the U.K. government is known for are its shape-shifting and U-turns. And one concern must be the government’s likely reaction if it found that conversions to vaping picked up so fast that tax revenues from tobacco fell dramatically. It’s addicted to such revenue, especially since the promised Brexit dividend, not even mentioned in March’s budget, seems to have melted away.
The UKVIA has consistently called for the U.K. to make the most of the opportunities presented by leaving the European Union, which are now available to the vaping sector. This includes removing unnecessary regulations which the association believes are often a barrier to harm reduction and tackling misinformation about e-cigarettes. The UKVIA included these matters in its recent submission to the government’s consultation on the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations (TRPR) published in March.
The U.K. has taken a world-leading role in harm reduction in this area, and it should continue to do so, according to the UKVIA. To achieve smokefree status, however, more work still needs to be done. The report points out that despite huge take up in smoking cessation products in recent years, there are still 7 million smokers in the U.K., which equates to 14.1 percent of adults. There is a concern within the sector that current low rates for smoking could be reversed by an increase in social smoking because of recent Covid-19 lockdowns.
The Adam Smith Institute report, written by its head of programs, Daniel Pryor, also calls for “ineffectual warnings” on some vaping products to be replaced and argues that the U.K. should “robustly defend its approach to tobacco harm reduction” at the global Framework Convention on Tobacco Control’s COP9 and related WHO meetings later this year.
This report is welcome as it shows the opportunities which are now available for the U.K. vaping sector in terms of increasing smoking cessation and promoting harm reduction.
Following the recent announcement of a trial of e-cigarette products taking place in five hospital A&E departments later this year, the sector anticipates an additional boost to the numbers of people switching to e-cigarettes and awaits the results of the trial with interest.
“This report is welcome as it shows the opportunities which are now available for the U.K. vaping sector in terms of increasing smoking cessation and promoting harm reduction, which is why the UKVIA called for vape retail outlets to be classified as ‘essential retail’ throughout the recent lockdowns,” said UKVIA Director General John Dunne.
“The Adam Smith Institute’s report builds on our own proposals which we submitted to the government’s TRPR Consultation. We support the report’s proposals on opposing ‘counterproductive regulations’ which can harm efforts to get smokers to switch to safer alternatives.”
“The UKVIA is already working with international partners ahead of the crucial COP9 summit later this year. We will continue to represent the sector as a whole and highlight the consensus opinions of U.K. public health bodies on the safety and efficacy of e-cigarettes to policymakers. We will continue to encourage the government to allow ‘Global Britain’ to use its newly independent position to encourage the World Health Organization to adopt a more reasonable approach with regards to reduced-risk products.”
The U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) has joined the chorus of voices condemning the World Health Organization (WHO) for its urging of countries to take an aggressive anti vaping stance ahead of a crucial health summit later this year.
According to leaked documents reported in the Daily Express, the WHO plans to use November’s COP9 summit in the Netherlands as a platform to tell leading international health figures that e-cigarettes are as dangerous as smoking tobacco.
The UKVIA joins the criticism of the WHO by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) Chair Mark Pawsey MP, who has called into question why the U.K. government is continuing to fund the body to the tune of £340 million ($471.8 million) over the next four years.
The UKVIA notes that this action flies in the face of the scientific reality of vaping in the U.K., which has seen millions of people quit smoking in recent years. Research by British scientists has consistently shown vaping to be the most popular and successful aide to quitting smoking.
The Cochrane Review into e-cigarettes highlights that existing studies show that vaping is nearly 50 percent more effective in helping smokers quit cigarettes than other methods of smoking cessation, according to the UKVIA. The review found that as many as 11 percent of smokers using a nicotine e‐cigarette to stop smoking might successfully stop compared to only 6 percent of smokers using nicotine‐replacement therapy or nicotine‐free e‐cigarettes or 4 percent of people having no support or behavioral support only.
The vaping industry here in the U.K., together with the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Vaping, is right to call out these baseless attacks on the sector.
There are already 3.2 million adults in Great Britain who have made the switch from smoking. The vaping industry needs to be supported as a British success and able to assist the remaining 6.9 million adult smokers in the U.K., according to the UKVIA.
“The stance of the World Health Organization is extremely concerning,” said John Dunne, UKVIA director general, in a statement. “The vaping industry here in the U.K., together with the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Vaping, is right to call out these baseless attacks on the sector. Vaping is a great British success story, enabling millions of people to switch from smoking.
“The APPG is also right to call for the U.K. government to reconsider the level of its funding to the World Health Organization in light of these reports. Thankfully, now that the U.K. has left the EU, it is now longer bound by the ridiculous and quite frankly dangerous WHO messaging urging the bloc to treat vaping in the same way as smoking.”
The U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) has launched an online logistics survey for the vaping industry.
This action follows the decision of several delivery companies to stop carrying shipments of vaping products.
Reports have involved leading providers such as DHL, UPS and FedEx, resulting in varying degrees of disruption to deliveries in recent months. The UKVIA is keen to learn if any disruption is affecting products imported from countries within the European Union or if products imported from China and the USA are also being held up.
“The UKVIA is extremely concerned to hear of any disruption to deliveries of vaping products experienced by our members or any other businesses in the sector,” said John Dunne, director general of the UKVIA.
“We will be closely looking into the response to this survey, to gauge the severity of the problems faced by businesses. The UKVIA will then be in a better position to take up these concerns on behalf of our members and the wider industry. I would encourage everyone eligible to take part in the survey or to get in contact with the UKVIA directly to flag up any individual logistics issues”
