Big Tobacco Company's Vape Advertising Questioned By UK Government

The Government of the United Kingdom has accused one of the world’s leading tobacco companies, Philip Morris, of illegally targeting Brits with a vaping advertisement promoting the company’s IQOS, a heat-not-burn device that heats tobacco sticks to the point at which a “vapor” or aerosol is produced.

The IQOS is one of two heat-not-burn (HNB) devices sold in the UK at this time. The Daily Mail reports that such devices are believed to be less harmful than conventional cigarettes, but worse than the electronic cigarettes that they compete with.

Unlike e-cigarettes, which heat liquid blends, heat-not-burn devices like the IQOS are used with conjunction with actual tobacco.

The Ad In Question

The vaping advertisement that the UK Government has alleged to be in violation of the long-standing ban on tobacco and tobacco related product advertising is a window poster promoting the IQOS. According to the Daily Telegraph, Philip Morris reportedly supplied newsagents across Britain with the posters promoting the company’s heat-not-burn device.

While UK Public Health Minister Steve Brine told the Telegraph that it is “completely unacceptable” for an organization to promote tobacco products, Peter Nixon, UK managing director at Philip Morris, defended the company’s IQOS advertisements. By Nixon’s account, the advertising laws simply do not apply as they were designed for cigarettes, not tobacco heaters like the company’s IQOS device.

As the Daily Mail reports, Philip Morris could be faced with court action if their vaping ads are found to be in violation of the long-standing ban on tobacco and tobacco related product advertising.

In other news, the New Zealand Ministry of Health has taken Philip Morris to court over the sale of its IQOS device in their country, new limited edition Metallic Blue IQOS devices have been released in South Korea, and a preliminary review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the IQOS has found its output to be less harmful than the smoke produced by cigarettes.