So far, in Great Britain, fewer than one in a hundred children say they’ve used e-cigarettes regularly. And as yet there’s no evidence that e-cigarettes act as a ‘gateway’ into smoking cigarettes. These are encouraging facts. But as the market for e-cigarettes continues to grow, the situation may change. That’s why we’re pleased to see that the Government plans to ban under-18s from buying e-cigarettes. It will be crucial to track how children respond to these products, and if necessary back further controls on marketing and availability to prevent children using them. How are they marketed now? A report we commissioned from Stirling University, looked at e-cigarette marketing and advertising over a year in the UK. The study found a raft of marketing ploys including the use of celebrity endorsements, innovative designs, and sweet-tasting flavours, which might attract non-smokers, including children. Some of these adverts have already been banned after being judged attractive to children while referring to smoking and for suggesting that they can help people quit without the evidence and licensing to back up these claims. There are also concerns that some e-cigarette advertising may inadvertently ‘normalise’ tobacco smoking making it more acceptable, and perhaps undermining the tobacco control policies that have made a real impact on smoking rates. The Committees of Advertising Practice recognise these concerns and is planning to introduce new marketing rules for e-cigarettes. We hope these rules will refine marketing regulations, to ensure e-cigarettes are targeted at those who can benefit – namely smokers and users of nicotine-containing products – and not to non-smokers. Do they change what people think about smoking? In recent years, smoking has become less socially acceptable, but as is clear from the ‘cigalike’ products, vaping can mimic smoking, which may start to make smoking acceptable again. Is there any evidence for this? Not yet, but like with other areas of e-cigarette research there just simply hasn’t been enough time to be sure either way. In reaction to these concerns, the Welsh Government is exploring a ban on vaping in all enclosed public spaces, fearing that it may make smoking acceptable again. We don’t believe that there is currently sufficient evidence to justify this. But through our continued support of research, these answers will become clearer, allowing governments to make evidence-based decisions. In the short term, expert guidance is available to businesses to help them make informed decisions on whether to permit e-cigarette use within their premises. What about the tobacco industry? E-cigarettes aren’t just big news, they’re big business. And the tobacco industry’s growing interest in this business is a serious concern. In the last year the tobacco industry has started launching their own products and buying more established e-cigarette companies. It’s not clear why they are interested in e-cigarettes – is it as an insurance policy from declining tobacco sales? Or another ploy to improve their reputation? Either way their involvement raises concerns due to serious conflicts of interest. The World Health Organisation’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) is a global public health treaty, signed by 178 nations, aimed at reducing the harm from smoking. All members are required to protect their health policy from the influence of the tobacco industry. As we’ve highlighted before, the tobacco industry isn’t to be trusted when it comes to trying to influence policy. So we’ll be keeping a close eye on its involvement in e-cigarettes to ensure they can’t use their investment to influence public health policy again. Maximising the potential While it’s clear that e-cigarettes have enormous potential to cut smoking rates, it’s vital that all other potential consequences are taken into account. By building and acting on the evolving evidence base around e-cigarettes we believe their full potential can be realised, and the risks minimised. The debate around e-cigarettes isn’t likely to be resolved any time soon, and we’ll likely continue to see headlines about their risks and benefits for some time to come. For our part, we will continue to invest in e-cigarette research, presenting a clear assessment of the evidence for those who need it. Chit Selvarajah is a senior policy advisor at Cancer Research UK
1 Comment
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |