United Kingdom: Electronic cigarette vouchers offered to caregivers

The staff of the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK has been offered vouchers for e-cigarettes and e-liquids by VPZ, a chain of vaping and heated tobacco retailers funded by Philip Morris International (PMI).

To thank healthcare workers on the front lines during the Covid-19 outbreak, VPZ, the UK's largest vape and IQOS (PMI's heated tobacco brand) retailer, is offering them an e-cigarette and 50% off flavored liquids. The site offers six e-cigarette models, primarily from SMOK, for both beginners and experienced vapers.

“At VPZ, we would like to show our appreciation to the INCREDIBLE frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic by offering them a free device.

There's no catch, it's just a well-deserved thank you.

We're even offering this device free if you've already taken advantage of our 50% online discount »

For tobacco control activists, VPZ circumvents the ban on tobacco advertising. Since the start of the pandemic[1], tobacco companies have been accused of engaging in highly questionable marketing operations. They offered fans[2], medical equipment, and have donated to charities. This whitewashing strategy aims to mask the illnesses and deaths caused by this industry, as well as its massive profits made at the expense of individuals and governments.

A PMI spokesperson said it wanted to move smokers towards " less harmful products. Providing information on smoke-free alternatives to adult smokers demonstrates strong support for the government's smoke-free ambition by 2030. »

This is not the first time that PMI has attempted to position itself as a socially responsible entity within this healthcare institution. In 2018[3]To mark the 70th anniversary of the creation of the NHS, PMI offered to help its employees quit smoking by switching to smoke-free alternatives.[4].

The body Action for Smoking and Health (ASH UK) had denounced this approach: “ PMI claims that a partnership would benefit the NHS, when in reality it would give them a huge commercial advantage. They could promote their own harm reduction products as NHS-approved. ".

This action by PMI is in direct opposition to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) of the World Health Organization, which requires that signatory parties, including the United Kingdom, must ensure that tobacco manufacturers play no role in public health.