Many UK retailers found willing to sell e-cigarettes to under-18s
16th August 2016 | Regulatory briefing |
Four out of ten English retailers are still unsure about age restrictions on e-cigarette products, according to a new review.
Regulatory briefing / United Kingdom
This page covers all of our UK-related legislative news briefings and industry updates. These range from developments in vaping regulation and restrictions to new policies and tax changes. The section also offers industry updates on legal battles, governmental changes, e-cigarette and flavour ban proposals, lobby updates, etc.
Health and safety authorities advocate for e-cigs at home
5th August 2016 | Regulatory briefing |
New advice from UK authorities advises consumers to switch from conventional smoking to vaping at home because of the reduced risk in fire as well as the health benefits for bystanders – particularly children.
PHE says public vaping deserves to be treated differently from smoking
14th July 2016 | Regulatory briefing |
New guidance on public-vaping policies from Public Health England (PHE) provides a detailed rationale for allowing e-cigarette use even where smoking is forbidden.
Research suggests vaping may affect circulatory system, but caution urged
13th July 2016 | Regulatory briefing |
What do you get when you take 20 smokers and 20 non-smokers, give them tobacco cigarettes to puff on, and then ask them to try e-cigs? A study from the Sapienza University of Rome is one of the few to look at the direct effects of e-cigarettes on the functioning of the human body.
British Medical Association calls for public vaping ban
23rd June 2016 | Regulatory briefing |
The British Medical Association is going against the trend of UK professional medical bodies and sticking to a more sceptical line on e-cigarettes, backing a public vaping ban.
Framework Convention “ignores its own harm reduction principles”
23rd June 2016 | Regulatory briefing |
The World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) has been accused of ignoring its own founding document in taking a stance against e-cigarettes, as well as neglecting the governance principles of its ultimate parent the United Nations.
UK and U.S. studies report opposite findings on gateway effect
23rd June 2016 | Regulatory briefing |
Two new studies have reached profoundly different conclusions on the relationship between e-cig usage by young people and their take-up up of conventional tobacco – differences that may be partially explained by one coming from the U.S. and one from the UK.
Cessation evidence unclear, but second-gen devices may help
24th May 2016 | Regulatory briefing |
A new systematic review of e-cigarettes and smoking cessation is claimed to be the most comprehensive so far as it covers not only published, peer-reviewed studies – including observational research as well as RCTs – but also so-called “grey literature”, material published outside of peer review.
Plans for vaping ban in Wales are officially abandoned
24th May 2016 | Regulatory briefing |
The proposed Welsh public vaping ban is officially dead.
Two more British hospitals relent on vaping prohibitions
24th May 2016 | Regulatory briefing |
Two large hospitals in England have become the country’s first to reverse vaping bans.
Point-of-sale restrictions “could be overkill, despite youth vaping link”
15th April 2016 | Marketing & retailing , Regulatory briefing |
A new study has shown some relation between e-cigarette point-of-sale (POS) advertising and youth uptake of e-cigs. But the authors urge people to not jump to conclusions because of the results.
Britain and the U.S.: separated by attitudes to nicotine?
14th April 2016 | Regulatory briefing |
Differing views of nicotine in Britain and the U.S. may underlie a sharp contrast in official attitudes toward e-cigarettes, according to a group of public-health scholars.
UK smoking-cessation services encouraged to suggest vaping
11th April 2016 | Regulatory briefing |
New guidance for stop-smoking services in the UK demonstrates how e-cigarettes can contribute to smoking cessation.
E-cig science: do meta-analyses really matter?
5th April 2016 | Regulatory briefing |
In the past year or so, scientists have conducted several systematic reviews that aim to analyse research evidence in order to find whether e-cigs help people quit smoking. The issue addressed by studies like these (which can also be known as meta-analyses) is, of course, one of the primary public-health and policy questions about the devices. But how much value should we place on their findings?
E-cig researchers beset by accusations of conflict
31st March 2016 | Regulatory briefing |
Conflicts of interest in research can blow up when the tobacco industry is seen to be involved in any area of research on smoking – or, now, vaping.
Vaping “more expensive than smoking in many countries”
29th March 2016 | Business briefing , Regulatory briefing |
High pricing of e-cigarettes compared to combustibles could deter smokers from switching to vaping in many jurisdictions, a new study suggests.
Britain’s TPD opponents told resistance is futile – for now
2nd February 2016 | Regulatory briefing |
The British e-cigarette sector should seek an early review of the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) rather than continue a doomed fight against this year’s introduction of the new EU rules, a politician has advised.
Do TV commercials persuade young people to try vaping?
27th January 2016 | Business briefing , Marketing & retailing , Regulatory briefing |
TV ads seen by young people may lead them to start vaping later, researchers claim in a report which is likely to add further fuel to the debate over e-cigarette marketing – a debate where studies that detect an influence are garnering much more attention than those that suggest advertising is less effectual.
Cessation: beneath the startling numbers, a study in scientific doubt
21st January 2016 | Regulatory briefing |
The furore over Sara Kalkhoran and Stanton Glantz’s meta-analysis of e-cigarettes and smoking cessation illustrates some pitfalls in conducting, and interpreting, science. ECigIntelligence takes an in-depth look at the principles and problems behind the statistics.
Pharmacists welcome UK regulator’s licensing of an e-cig
29th December 2015 | Business briefing , Regulatory briefing |
Medical licensing of an e-cigarette seems to have been decisive in swinging the favour of Britain’s pharmacists toward vaping.
Welsh government U-turns on proposed public vaping ban
14th December 2015 | Regulatory briefing |
The Welsh Labour party has backed down on a proposal to enact a wide-ranging ban on vaping in public spaces. However, it would still like to see some areas marked as off-limits to vapers.
UK authorities, industry bewildered by age restrictions
17th November 2015 | Regulatory briefing |
New age restrictions for e-cigarette products have created some confusion over enforcement and best practice for UK retailers, both online and offline.
Public vaping bans “could have unintended consequences”
13th November 2015 | Regulatory briefing |
Justifications for public vaping bans largely revolve around re-normalisation of conventional smoking as well as the possible health impact of secondhand vaping.
London conference to cover latest science, regulatory outlook
10th November 2015 | Regulatory briefing |
Regulators, health professionals and scientists are expected to converge in London this week for an update on research into vaping.
Regulators should set standards for nicotine-level testing, say scientists
15th October 2015 | Regulatory briefing |
Regulators should set a standard methodology for the pharmacokinetic tests that measure how much nicotine is in vapers’ or smokers’ blood, say scientists at British American Tobacco (BAT).
Experienced vapers’ advice can help novices, says addiction expert
9th October 2015 | Regulatory briefing |
Experienced users should not be dismissed as unreliable sources of insight when e-cigarettes are being discussed, and their advice can be valuable for those just starting to vape or considering it, according to a British researcher.
Opinion: public health, magical thinking and monsters under the bed
24th September 2015 | Regulatory briefing |
Counterblasts against Public Health England’s nearly unequivocal support for e-cigarettes were only to be expected, and their trajectory has been laid out by two of Britain’s most eminent general medical journals, The Lancet and The BMJ. But their arguments are neither nuanced nor practical, and are muddled by dislike of the tobacco industry.
E-cigs and dental health: a field wide open for study
22nd September 2015 | Regulatory briefing |
There has been little study or comment on e-cigs so far from professional bodies in dental health, or from dental researchers.
But that may now be changing, with increased interest from some corners of the dental profession in e-cigs’ role as potential reducers of harm to oral health.
British health charity calls for promotion of e-cigarettes
17th August 2015 | Regulatory briefing |
A prominent British public-health charity has thrown its weight behind vaping, saying that the public needs educating on e-cigarettes’ health benefits compared with combustibles.
British politicians oppose parliamentary vaping ban
15th July 2015 | Regulatory briefing |
Members of the British parliament plan to contest a ban on vaping within the halls of the Palace of Westminster, the famous London complex where they meet.