Today the Government published its long awaited Tobacco Control Plan. Contained within the plan, with its ambition to create a ‘smoke free future’, were specific implications for the vaping industry. Our reaction to the plan was as follows.
Doug Mutter, a board member of the UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) and head of manufacturing & compliance at Vaporized, welcomed the Tobacco Control Plan; “The Government’s Tobacco Control Plan has been long awaited by those of us in the vaping industry, and contains welcome measures that the UKVIA has been calling for.
“Public Health England has stated vaping is at least 95% less harmful than smoking, and it is about time we made this clear to smokers. That’s why we are particularly pleased to see the commitment that from now on this will be highlighted as part of Public Health England’s (PHE) anti-smoking campaigns, a missed opportunity to date.
“We also welcome the Plan’s commitment to relook at the EU Tobacco Product Directive, and its impact on vaping products. The contradictory situation where vaping products are treated like tobacco, though they contain none, cannot continue. The UKVIA will be pushing Government to turn these words into action. Britain is a world-leader in health policy, and it is about time we had regulations that reflect our country’s own public health priorities.”