UK vape retailer VPZ has written directly to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to express serious concerns over the Government’s recent decision to shelve proposed restrictions on alcohol advertising - a move it believes “raises significant questions about public health priorities and regulatory consistency.”
In the letter, it highlights over 10,000 people die each year in the UK from alcohol-related causes, yet the industry continues to benefit from widespread advertising freedoms.
In stark contrast, vaping companies like VPZ - whose mission is to help adult smokers quit - face ongoing restrictions and growing political scrutiny, despite zero confirmed vape-related deaths in the UK.
It concludes that it believe this represents a clear imbalance in the way public health risks are being approached and communicated.
As a long-standing advocate for harm reduction and smoking cessation, VPZ is calling on the Prime Minister for an explanation and urging fair, evidence-based policy that doesn’t penalise responsible vaping businesses while “giving damaging industries a pass,” it says.
Extract from the letter to Keir Starmer from Jamie Strachan, operations director at VPZ:
“The vaping industry - despite being recognised by leading health bodies such as Public Health England and the NHS as a significantly less harmful alternative to smoking - faces increasing regulation, scrutiny, and public messaging that we feel is both disproportionate and misdirected.
“e find ourselves and the wider responsible vape industry consistently targeted with restrictive policies, while harmful industries such as alcohol and betting companies appear to be afforded leniency. This sends a confusing message to the public, undermines harm reduction strategies, and risks fuelling a public health backslide.”
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