Tobacco and Vapes Bill is 'lunacy', says Dr Chris Snowdon of the IEA

Commenting on reports that the Government will introduce an updated Tobacco and Vapes Bill to Parliament, Christopher Snowdon, Head of Lifestyle Economics at the free market think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs, said:

"From a free market perspective, almost everything about the Tobacco and Vapes Bill is objectionable, but you don't have to be a libertarian to have serious concerns about this legislation. Alongside eye-watering tobacco taxes and a new e-cigarette tax that will double the cost of vaping, this package of measures will push both products into the hands of the black market. Australia's violent tobacco turf wars may soon come to the streets of Britain.

"It is lunacy to attack the safer substitutes of vaping and heated tobacco while dragging tobacco into the war on drugs. There is no public health rationale for banning vaping outdoors, nor for including low-risk nicotine products in the generational ban. Even anti-smoking fanatics should be able to see that this is counter-productive."

ENDS

Notes to Editors

• In 'The Alternative Smoke-Free 2030 Plan', Dr Chris Snowdon outlines an alternative strategy to prohibition, a proven failure, to reduce the smoking rate in England.