Uk Regulation Could Amount To A Ban

[profbeard]

It's been suggested to me you might like a UK perspective of what is going on in the UK.

Put simply, there is a regulatory body in the UK called the MHRA. The MHRA are proposing to take all nicotine containing products (except strangly cigarettes/tobacco - what a surprise) under medicinal regulation. This is being put forward under the usual "safety" arguments and as part of a UK Gov initiative aimed at "harm reduction". The proposals are new in that they propose to regulate/recognise products aimed at longer term use (as opposed to NRTs).

This originally came about because Johnson & Johnson want their inhalers treated this way (and we suspect they have e-cig product in the pipeline) and e-cigs will be included. Strangely (sarcasm) Phillip Morris also think this a pretty neat idea...

The MHRA have to put all such proposals out to "consultation" - normally this results in no-one replying and they do what they want. Following consulation regulation is implemented. The MHRA favoured option is that regulation should be implemented 21 days after consulation ends on the 4th May and that all unlicenced product would be withdrawn from sale at that point. The regulations would mean ALL e-cig liquids/filled carts would require licences - the licences cost a fortune (many 10s of thousands of pounds), loads of other expense, and months to prepare an application for. (Their second option would be for a one year delay - informed opinion is that an e-cig vendor such as Totally Wicked would struggle to get product licenced even in a year - and then ban unlicenced product). This will kill the existing UK e-cig industry except purely hardware vendors.

My suspicion is that J&J (and other pharma) are all ready to bring out product (probably useless for vapers as opposed to quitters)... The tobacco industry will see a threat to their profits removed.

Those who are willing to import their own juice from the EU and China will probably be able to, but it will drive large numbers of UK vapers back to tobacco.

The hope is that the MHRA are not used to real opposition or fuss. Many of us have sent in replies to the consultation, as have many vendors - the MHRA have already said they will be holding a "stakeholder consulation meeting" which they were not planning to. We have also contacted the Ministry responsible for competition and overseeing regulatory body conduct (the MHRA consulation is very poor in terms of evidence of need and impact analysis) and lots of Members of Parliament. The more fuss the better...

The important thing is that vapers in the UK need to avoid stressing using vaping to quit smoking and emphasise they have replaced their use of tabacco to enjoy the recreational use of nicotine with vaping - with harm reduction as a by-product but NOT as "treatment for addiction".

On a personal note - I'm looking for financial links between Altria/Phillip Morris and Johnson and Johnson - there are no "corporate links" I'm aware of, but there seem to be significant shared stock/shareholders (like Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway) - in my view the proposed regulation benefits tobacco/pharma interests at the expensive of small businesses and if these two companies (who have made themselves visible in this case) can be shown to have significant shared "ownership" in terms of people who would benefit from increased profit from both it could be useful - anyone who can point to organisations/individuals who have interests in both companies would have my thanks.

There is much discussion of this on the UK Vapers Forum:

http://ukvapers.com/showthread.php?t=446

Edited March 2, 2010 by profbeard

[SmokinHammer]

Thanks so much for the update, Profbeard. We're all hoping that our reaction to that consultation is making a difference. If you haven't said your piece, PLEASE CLICK HERE and share your story with the MHRA!