Coalition of Health Experts Call For Ban on Social Media Influencers

2Firsts Events

May.18.2022

Coalition of Health Experts Call For Ban on Social Media Influencers

A coalition of over 100 global health and tobacco control groups, have called for a ban on the promotion of nicotine products by social media influencers.

In a letter to the CEOs of Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter the group demanded an end to the promotion of tobacco and nicotine products. Countless influencers, including DJs, models and socialites, promote products such as BAT’s Velo, the flavoured nicotine pouch which tobacco harm reduction experts would only recommend for smoking cessation. Among the influencers promoting this product are Made in Chelsea star Alex Mytton and racing driver Archie Hamilton.

Nicotine pouches may be be less biologically active than cigarettes and snus

Meanwhile, a 2020 (non-independent) study conducted by BAT, compared the tobacco company’s Velo nicotine pouches with a cigarette and a Swedish-style snus pouch. The nicotine pouches were found to be less biologically active than cigarette smoke and snus, even at greater concentrations of nicotine and across a range of tests. In fact, during many attempts Velo failed to elicit a biological response at all, which led the researchers to conclude that they are safer than traditional cigarettes and Swedish-style snus.

Also last year BAT announced it was launching a new plant at an estimated cost of Sh2.5 billion, to start the production of nicotine pouches in Kenya. The plan was to trade under the Lyft brand and target the African market. Yet the country’s Ministry of Health and civil society lobby groups, such as International Institute for Legislative Affairs, resisted the sales of the products, and announced a ban in October 2020.

Naturally, many health entities believe that BAT’s only interest is hooking young adults on a new product in order to enjoy a steady revenue. “The true intention of these ads is quite clear: to keep customers addicted to nicotine and to entice young people to try nicotine products,” Caroline Renzulli, of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids,” told the Guardian.

Source：VapingPost

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[3] Smoking Down Among Danish Youths, Use of Snus and E-cigarettes Up to 12.9%

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EU finance ministers are scheduled to discuss tobacco excise reform on November 9, 2026, seeking agreement on higher minimum duties for conventional tobacco and a common EU minimum tax framework covering e-cigarettes, heated tobacco and nicotine pouches. A November 5 Council document identifies nicotine pouch taxation as the main outstanding issue. The Irish Council presidency proposes phased increases, reaching 50% of retail selling price or €50 per kilogram in 2032. Sweden has formally said it cannot support the current compromise, objecting to both the proposed nicotine pouch tax burden and the adjustment of minimum rates based on national purchasing power. The package also addresses cross-border personal-use reference quantities, raw tobacco controls and the continued exclusion of traditional tobacco snus.

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