Consultation to restrict use of electronic cigarettes

2 February 2010

A new consultation has been announced that could see the sale and use of electronic cigarettes being restricted.

As part of the government's announcement of the new Tobacco Control Strategy, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has announced a consultation on the regulation of all nicotine containing products, which includes ‘electronic cigarettes'.

A loophole in the law allows electronic cigarettes to bypass all the legislative controls currently in place dealing with conventional tobacco products.

CIEH principal policy officer Ian Gray said:

"This is a very welcome opportunity for serious consideration to be given to how these hazardous products can either be effectively controlled or removed from the market entirely.

"The sale and use of these unlicensed and largely uncontrolled products, including children's access to them, has been a cause for concern for too long. The chief executives of the CIEH, TSI and Lacors jointly wrote to the department of health calling for such a review."

The public consultation launched by the MHRA will consider whether/how to bring these products into regulation and the CIEH will be making a robust case.

The deadline for submissions is the 4 May 2010 and the consultation documents are available to here.