UK: The New Nicotine Alliance is against anti-vaping legislation

If the electronic cigarette seems to be an attractive alternative to tobacco, the road remains long before everyone agrees, and the United Kingdom is the perfect example!

Indeed, although the U.K. was one of the first countries to adopt the e-cigarette (with almost 2.9 million regular users), there are still numerous contradictions.

The anti-tobacco legislation currently in force in the United Kingdom is not officially concerned with vaping. However, numerous e-cigarette users have been compared to tobacco smokers and are hence subject to the same restrictions. Now illegal in certain public places as well as the workplace, the e-cigarette has been stigmatised, just like tobacco, even though it is much less harmful to health.

Consequently, the New Nicotine Alliance (NNA) is trying to open British people’s eyes and to the benefits of the e-cigarette. The association is worried about the dangers created by the confusion between the differences in vaping and smoking cigarettes. The NNA fears that smokers won’t take the risk of quitting tobacco if they believe the alternative is just as harmful to their health.

 

NNA’s “Vape Welcome” Campaign

In response to public opinion and the British government, the NNA recently launched a campaign against anti-vaping legislation. The campaign encourages smokers to turn to the e-cigarette with the help of the authorities. The name of the campaign, “Vape Welcome,” encourages the government to rethink vaping legislation and to clarify remaining doubts surrounding the dangers of tobacco.

For this campaign, the New Nicotine Alliance has put different strategies in place, such as selling slogan stickers online. Advertising support of the campaign is also about reclaiming the freedom to vape. The NNA is also calling for the removal of anti-vaping billboards, which make no distinction between tobacco and e-cigarettes.

The NNA is continuing its fight to make things clearer for everyone in terms of understanding the differences between smoking and vaping. Consequently, the NNA hopes that the British government will modify its anti-tobacco message.