RCP urges government to close loopholes in tobacco and vape marketing rules

The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has responded to the UK government's consultation on tobacco and vape packaging, appearance and display, urging ministers to close regulatory loopholes and resist attempts to weaken proposed reforms. The RCP supports standardised packaging and stronger health warnings across a wider range of tobacco products—including cigars, cigarillos, heated tobacco and smokeless tobacco—to prevent manufacturers from using packaging as a marketing tool. Drawing on its report "Smoking, health and social justice," the college highlights that smoking-related harm is concentrated among people experiencing poverty and social exclusion, and argues that reducing the appeal and visibility of tobacco products should be part of a wider strategy to tackle health inequalities. The RCP also backs extending pictorial health warnings and quit-support inserts, and supports measures to reduce the appeal of vaping products to children, including restrictions on bright packaging, promotional imagery, novelty branding and child-appealing flavour descriptions. However, it warns that regulations must clearly distinguish between tobacco and vapes, noting that vaping, while not risk-free, is substantially less harmful than smoking and can help adults quit. The response calls for tighter controls on product displays and pricing information, and an end to exemptions for specialist tobacconists, duty-free and bulk tobacco displays. The RCP stresses the need to future-proof regulations against emerging products and marketing techniques, with Professor Sanjay Agrawal, RCP special adviser on tobacco, urging the government to stand firm and ensure public health remains at the heart of tobacco and vape regulation.

(Source：RCP London)