On May 13, in what was meant to be a curtain-raiser for World No Tobacco Day, the World Health Organisation (WHO) hosted a webinar entitled ‘Exposing Lies, Protecting Lives: Unmask the Appeal of Tobacco and Nicotine Products’. What it actually unmasked was how committed the WHO remains to conflating science with ideology, and to undermining […]
The Government’s rumoured plan to ban disposable vapes under the guise of protecting children is nothing short of a spectacular misstep. Let’s be clear: the imperative of safeguarding our children from harm is understandable. However, the decision to ban disposable vapes is a classic example of heavy-handed, knee-jerk regulation that threatens to ignite a new […]
The Government’s refusal to give in to anti-vape campaigners in the recent Spring Budget is a win for smoking harm reduction advocates. It is also encouraging to note that ministers have announced plans to spend £3m on creating a new ‘illicit vapes enforcement squad’ to enforce the sensible laws on sales of vaping products that […]
One of the many unfortunate side effects of Covid is that society that has become increasingly, and irrationally, risk averse. Our institutions seem hell-bent on insisting that everyone be swaddled in cotton-wool – yet almost everything we take for granted today at one point involved taking significant risks. Even seatbelts faced a controversial battle before […]
Ever since the Brexit referendum result, ministers have promised us a long overdue ‘bonfire’ of EU regulation. One area where this is desperately needed is the approach to tobacco harm reduction. The Government has committed to the goal of Smokefree 2030, meaning smoking prevalence of 5% or lower nationally. To stand a chance at achieving […]
