Knowledge of e-cigarettes is key to European Parliament support

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Knowledge of e-cigarettes is key to European Parliament support

Members of the European Parliament are much more likely to recognise the reduced risk of e-cigarettes and other novel nicotine products if they have some knowledge of the subject, new research reveals.

A survey conducted by ECigIntelligence and TobaccoIntelligence found that 70% of MEPs with some knowledge of e-cigarettes considered them less harmful than smoking, against just 41% of MEPs with no knowledge of the topic.

“When it comes to politicians’ perceptions of new nicotine products, accurate information appears to make all the difference,” said Tim Phillips, managing director of ECigIntelligence and TobaccoIntelligence. “The MEPs with knowledge of these products generally realise that they carry less risk than smoking – but those lacking knowledge often don’t understand that. The implications for policy across Europe are clear.”

The difference in MEPs’ attitudes was even more pronounced with two other new types of product, heated tobacco (sometimes called “heat not burn”) and nicotine pouches.

For heated tobacco, 74% of MEPs with some knowledge considered it less harmful than smoking, but only 32% of those lacking knowledge agreed.

And for nicotine pouches, almost all MEPs with knowledge of the products – 94%  –  considered them less harmful than smoking, but among those with no knowledge the figure fell to 26%.

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The findings broadly demonstrate a similar trend from a previous survey of MEPs undertaken by ECigIntelligence and TobaccoIntelligence last year.

ENDS

For further information or comment, please contact Tim Phillips at tim@tamarindintelligence.com.

For background information and context:

About us:

ECigIntelligence and TobaccoIntelligence are the leading providers of detailed global market and regulatory analysis, legal tracking, and quantitative data for the e-cigarette, heated tobacco and combustible-alternatives sector worldwide. They are published by Tamarind Intelligence, which also produces CannIntelligence.com.

Tim Phillips

Managing director
The founder and managing director of ECigIntelligence, Tim is a UK-qualified attorney, having worked at the European Commission, BSkyB and Herbert Smith (an international law firm), AOL Europe, as director of public affairs at Betfair (IPO in 2010 valued at ÂŁ1.5bn), and as a partner in a New York VC-funded start-up in the diamond sector. Tim holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the University of Law, London and a Masters in Geology from Oxford University.