BAT Executives Urge UK to Crack Down on Illegal e-Cigarettes

Sep.20.2024
BAT Executives Urge UK to Crack Down on Illegal e-Cigarettes
British American Tobacco (BAT) executives urge UK government to focus on tackling illegal e-cigarette sales instead of unnecessary tobacco policies.

According to a recent report by Bloomberg, executives from British American Tobacco (BAT) have stated that the UK government should focus on combating the illicit trade of e-cigarettes rather than introducing additional regulations on traditional cigarettes.


The previous Conservative government in the UK announced plans to ban the sale of tobacco products to anyone under the age of 14 in order to create a smoke-free generation.


British American Tobacco's Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Kingsley Wheaton, cited an analysis from the company indicating that the smoking rate among young people will drop to below 5% when the UK's policy to ban the purchase of cigarettes by young people takes effect.


Whitton emphasized that the government should allocate more resources to crack down on the illegal e-cigarette market, rather than further tightening existing policies on traditional cigarettes. The company will push for licenses to be issued to e-cigarette retailers. BAT said that if enforced properly, issuing licenses will help reduce the number of minors accessing e-cigarettes.


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