UK e-cigarettes banned from using smoking cessation ads on websites
Time： 2023-02-18
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UK advertising watchdog asks VPZ e-cigarettes to ban smoking cessation ads on website
The UK advertising watchdog has rebuked an e-cigarette company after claiming switching to vaping could help people quit smoking.
The Advertising Standards Association told Edinburgh-based VPZ that an ad on its website urging people to "switch with VPZ Vape Clinic today" must not appear again in its current form.
The regulator, which ruled that the page violated its advertising code, said marketing must not contain medical claims unless the product is authorized by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
The condemnation follows a complaint from anti-smoking charity Ash Scotland, whose chief executive, Sheila Duffy, welcomed the ruling, which she said set the stage for for-profit vaping businesses like VPZ to undercut advertising sales. Inappropriate use of medical language about e-cigarettes in China.
"Employees who work for vaping companies are not qualified to provide medical advice, and these companies are not health stakeholders," she said. "No vaping product has been licensed by the MHRA for use as a smoking cessation aid."
"As a health charity, we advise Scots who want to quit smoking to contact local specialist Quit Your Way smoking cessation services, which are available free from the NHS."
VPZ's response
A spokesperson for VPZ said the company respects the regulator's decision and remains focused on our commitment to helping adult smokers who choose e-cigarettes as an alternative to smoking.
"Our strategy is one-on-one consultations, providing expertise and engaging with smokers to educate them on their options for switching to vaping as the country achieves its ambition of creating a smoke-free society within the next decade," the spokesperson said. .
"This customer-led approach has driven the development and launch of Vape Clinic, a consultancy service for smokers seeking options when switching from smoking to vaping."
The regulator's UK Code of Non-Broadcast Advertising and Direct and Promotional Marketing, the rulebook for advertising, was found to be in breach of some of the rules for vaping.
The page tells people in large print that they will be able to quit smoking or get their money back. It also says you can start your smoke-free journey and your smoke-free journey.
In its ruling, it said: "Claims that e-cigarettes can help users quit smoking or reduce the amount they smoke are considered medical claims for the purpose of the regulation.
“While the ASA acknowledges that some public health agencies have made favorable claims about the potential health benefits of vaping, medicinal claims in vaping marketing communications remain prohibited without the relevant MHRA clearance.”
"We understand that the e-cigarettes promoted by VPZ are not authorized for this purpose by the MHRA and therefore the promotion of smoking cessation claims in marketing communications is prohibited."
VPZ told the regulator its products were not authorized by the MHRA for smoking cessation and did not believe the ad contained any medical claims.
They said their aim was to inform adult smokers that vaping is an alternative to tobacco, citing a 2021 report from Public Health England that said vaping was the most popular aid to help people quit smoking.
The regulator said that, in addition to the ad not appearing again in its current form, it should not have made smoking cessation claims for its vaping products without the relevant MHRA licence.
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