According to a report by The Guardian Australia on February 25th, a pro-vaping group has launched a series of advertisements on Facebook targeting individuals over the age of 18.
An advertisement claiming that "Australia needs practical, common-sense solutions to smoking policy" has been circulating and encouraging citizens to share their opinions with the government. The ad also links to a petition asking the government to exempt nicotine products from poison standards and permit its sale by retailers.
The advertisement also claims that the current laws in Australia have created a massive demand for black market electronic cigarette products among the public.
The Australian newspaper reported that it is unclear how long the advertisements have been running and who funded them. The series of ads also did not disclose the source of the funding, as required by regulations.
However, it has been revealed that the group responsible for publishing the advertisement is called Responsible Vaping Australia, which was established in November last year by British American Tobacco Australia. They claim to represent retailers who wish to sell e-cigarettes responsibly.
University of Sydney tobacco control expert and public health professor, Becky Freeman, has stated that Responsible Vaping Australia's self-identification as an education and research group is misleading, given that e-cigarettes are clearly banned in Australia.
I did not see any evidence of 'education or research' in the content on the Facebook page," Freeman said. "This is an activity with financial ties to the English American Tobacco Australia company, which is actively lobbying to overturn Australia's e-cigarette laws.
According to reports, despite being a group centered in Australia, most of the administrators for Responsible Vaping Australia are based in Hong Kong and Pakistan.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has stated that advertisers cannot promote the sales or use of tobacco or nicotine products or related paraphernalia, including but not limited to e-cigarettes, vaporizers, or other simulated smoking products. However, these ads are allowed because they address "social issues" related to e-cigarettes.
According to reports, the ad series has been pulled.
Meta stated that these advertisements were not promoting the sale of electronic cigarettes, but rather addressing social issues related to electronic cigarettes for Australians aged 18 and above. Advertising standards for social issues, elections, and politics are higher and require a disclaimer from the "paying party". Ads that violated social issue advertising policies were removed because the paying party was not disclosed and the disclaimer was not included.
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Facebook advertisements that opposed a ban on vaping in Australia did not disclose the backing of tobacco companies.
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