Thursday, March 28, 2024

UK experts call for action against e-cigarette packaging to avoid attracting teenagers

Share


According to foreign reports, British health experts hope that e-cigarette manufacturers will prohibit promotion by attracting children, including naming e-cigarettes after candy and using cartoon characters.

The action on smoking and health (ash) and British public health doctors urged ministers to ban “inappropriate marketing methods”, which they feared would induce teenagers under the age of 18 to smoke e-cigarettes. They called for action to ban electronic liquids named bubble gum candy and bear fudge, and to ban the use of cartoon images in e-cigarettes, such as “Slushies”, an ice soft drink popular with children.

Professor Chris Whitty, the government’s chief medical adviser, is equally worried. He is worried that the sales method of e-cigarettes may encourage young people to try e-cigarettes, although it is illegal to sell e-cigarettes to teenagers under the age of 18. He warned last year that the government should resolutely crack down on these mercenaries.

Deborah Arnott, chief executive of ash, said: “building a brand with cartoon characters, fancy colors and sweet names is obviously attractive to children, and it is difficult to imagine why adult smokers need to do so”.

Since it is illegal to sell e-cigarettes to teenagers under the age of 18, these are completely inappropriate marketing means for manufacturers. These technologies may induce children to use e-cigarettes, otherwise they will never try.

A new study by ash, King’s College London and the University of Waterloo in Canada found that children are more likely to find a series of popular brands if they use bright colors than ordinary packaging. However, the type of packaging had no effect on the thinking of adults.

Professor Maggie Rae, Dean of the school of public health, supports ash’s appeal.

Professor Maggie Rae, Dean of the school of public health, supports ash’s call to action“ The chief medical officer should pay attention to the study and urge the government to take power to regulate e-cigarette packaging. These include colorful cartoon characters and sweet names, such as gummy bear, cherry cola and bubble gum, which are unnecessary and shocking and must be stopped, “she said.

Ash hopes that members of Parliament can propose amendments to the health and health care bill to prohibit child packaging and the gift of e-cigarettes to children and young people. Previously, a company distributed e-cigarettes free of charge in bath, Bristol and Brighton, but there was no age check.

Whitty said last year: “we need to make sure that history does not repeat itself. Testing whether a product is aimed at children is to see whether it begins to be used by children more and more. If there are more and more e-cigarettes among children, we should see that they are selling e-cigarettes to teenagers in some way. We will take action and deal with this problem very resolutely. “.

Data released last week showed that the number of young smokers smoked during the first COVID-19 blockade. The latest research shows that smoking among young people aged 18 to 34 in the UK has increased by 25% – 652000. Experts behind the study say that the surge in smoking may be due to the pressure of young people on smoking to help them cope with the pressure of COVID-19.

The spectrum alliance of public health academic researchers also wants to take action. Professor Linda bauld of the University of Edinburgh, the head of the organization, said: “apart from putting health warnings on the packaging, there are few regulations on the packaging of e-cigarettes in the UK”.

The new study suggests that taking action to regulate e-cigarette packaging may help reduce the attractiveness of e-cigarettes to children.

The reply received by the Ministry of health and social health: “in view of the confusion between e-cigarettes and cigarettes, any packaging requirements must clearly distinguish between e-cigarettes and tobacco products.”



Source link

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Read more

Latest News