UK: Anti-smoking program chief allegedly helped bring Juul to the country

An investigation by British media outlet The Examination and The Times has revealed how Martin Dockrell, head of the UK’s tobacco control programme, allegedly advised vaping manufacturer JUUL on how to effectively market its product in the country in 2017. Doctors and public health experts have said the UK’s approach of promoting vaping as a safer alternative to smoking, a position Mr Dockrell helped shape, has led to a surge in vaping among British teenagers.

Martin Dockrell had a private dinner with Juul co-founder Adam Bowen and two other company representatives at a nicotine conference in Warsaw, Poland, in June 2017.

Dockrell, a major ally in the establishment of JUUL in the United Kingdom

Public Health England (PHE) did not keep a record of the dinner, but details emerged in internal documents released as part of a multi-million dollar US settlement over allegations of marketing to young people.[1]. In internal emails, a JUUL executive told colleagues that Mr. Dockrell had been “ very, very supportive of JUUL launching in UK and EU " and had offered advice on regulating the UK market.

Dockrell reportedly told JUUL that the UK Medicines Regulator and the PHE would be supportive of the company launching in the UK because “they want to see an attractive alternative product made by a less powerful tobacco company – other than the Big 4,” according to JUUL emails. Indeed, Juul, in 2017, was not owned by a tobacco company. Altria, the parent company of Philip Morris USA, did subsequently invest in the company.

Internal documents indicate that the pros and cons of different routes to market were discussed over dinner, including regulation as a drug and launching as a "new tobacco product," which would mean "prior approval" would not be required.

Other emails show that Dockrell and JUUL representatives met on several occasions after that dinner. Dockrell was described as “ the field man for the fight against tobacco at PHE and strongly in favor of the electronic cigarette " in a 2018 document titled " stakeholder mapping " Dockrell and Arnott also featured in a column "of current allies" in a JUUL policy and government affairs document dated March 20, 2019. The same document lists the "current opponents", including the director-general of the World Health Organization.

A recent paradigm shift in the UK

After having long integrated vaping into its fight against smoking, the United Kingdom now wants to strengthen the regulations around these products. The British government presented a set of measures in early 2024 to soon achieve a tobacco-free generation[2] and drastically reduce the consumption of vaping by the youngest. The new action plan proposes the upcoming ban on disposable devices (puffs), the implementation of neutral packaging and the banning of stalls for these products, as well as a ban on certain attractive flavors. Finally, a significant increase in the taxation of these products is included in this arsenal of provisions.[3].

©Generation Without Tobacco

AE

[1] Tobacco-free generation, United States: Universities make internal documents of manufacturer JUUL accessible, published on February 19, 2024, consulted on March 26, 2024

[2] Tobacco-free generation, UK sets out plan to achieve a smoke-free generation, published on February 1, 2024, consulted on March 26, 2024

[3] Tobacco-free generation, UK plans to increase taxes on e-cigarettes and tobacco, published March 11, 2024, accessed March 26, 2024