Will the issues of e-cigarettes & plain packaging re-ignite tobacco litigation, asks Sarah Moore
For the first time in 20 years an advertisement from a large tobacco company has appeared on British TV screens.
The advert, released during February, depicts a healthy-looking young man and woman propelling themselves through a cloud of smoke while the audio assures viewers of, “satisfaction for vapers”. The product being marketed is a brand of e-cigarette called “Vype” and the company behind the campaign is a subsidiary of the tobacco giant British American Tobacco (BAT). Meanwhile, following the conclusion of an inquiry led by Sir Cyril Chantler, the government is under renewed pressure to legislate for plain packaging for old style cigarettes. It appears that while one marketing door may be closing for “big tobacco” another is being left wide open.
The rationale for this Janus-faced policy is rooted in the positioning of e-cigarettes as safer and healthier alternatives to conventional cigarettes. It also takes advantage of a regulatory gap which will continue to exist until 2016 when e-cigarettes will be formally classified as “medicines” in the UK, or
