Imperial Brands Urges Complete Ban on Teen Market E-Cigarette Promotion

According to a report by Journalnow, Imperial Brands Plc is urging British public health officials to establish and implement a "complete ban" on the promotion of e-cigarettes to the teenage market. In addition, the company is also advocating for stronger regulations on the sale of e-cigarette products to individuals below the age of 18.

Empire Brand officially announced its stance in a public statement released on Wednesday. In the statement, the company expresses...

We share concerns with the government regarding the increasing usage rate of e-cigarette products among young people. We also reference the perspective of Sir Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer of the United Kingdom, who suggests that we should continue to encourage current smokers to transition to the use of e-cigarettes, which pose a lower risk. Furthermore, there is a call to prohibit the sale and promotion of e-cigarettes to children.

However, the Imperial brand also cautioned that supporting restrictions on e-cigarettes for teenagers, especially minors, does not imply endorsing similar bans on adults.

Specifically, if the sale of disposable e-cigarettes is indeed prohibited, it is very likely to lead to a portion of nicotine consumers reverting back to traditional cigarettes, reversing the positive health trend that the UK should be proud of.

The Imperial brand supports the imposition of fines on retailers who sell e-cigarettes to minors and rejects the requirement of a "retail license" for selling e-cigarettes to minors. The Imperial brand cited data indicating that the UK's commercial regulatory standards have seized over 2.5 million illegal e-cigarettes in the past three years.