Against Public e-Smoking ? - Complain about Press Advertising !

A number of advertisements have already appeared in the Press and on Television that indicate that the Nicotine Industry has reverted back to its unscrupulous and misleading subliminal marketing tricks.

The Nicotine Industry isn't allowed to advertise or promote tobacco cigarettes because of health concerns. However, due to a legal loophole, there are no such restrictions in place for advertising electronic cigarettes.

Most seriously, the adverts tend to claim or imply that e-cigarettes use a harmless vapour, and are safer and healthier than conventional tobacco cigarettes. However there are health concerns about electronic cigarettes, and they haven't been tested over 10-40 years of clinical trials - and without evidence to back up the claims the companies are not allowed to make such claims.

Simply put, no one knows how electronic cigarettes will compare to tobacco cigarettes over a lifetime of use.

Remember that the Nicotine Industry has a track record of making misleading, or mistaken, health claims for its products. For example, in 1952 the Lorillard Tobacco Company promoted and advertised the "health benefits" of KENT's new "MICRONITE FILTER", which was made of asbestos ! Lorillard used asbestos in its filters for four years in the 1950s. Many people who smoked these cigarettes with asbestos filters were stricken with mesothelioma, the hallmark cancer resulting from asbestos exposure.^1,2

The best thing for you to do, if you see an advert in the Press, is to scrutinise the advert to see if you think it is acceptable - and if you find the advert disturbing in any way:

1. Take a scan of the disturbing advert.

2. Submit the scan and your complaint to the Advertising Standards Agency ( http://www.asa.org.uk/ )

3. Send a copy of scanned image and your complaint to us, and we will see if it can be included as an example on this website.

In due course we hope to provide some supporting information here on this website on how to best complain to the Advertising Standards Agency.

Sources

1. http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/You_can_see_the_proof_of_Kent%27s_Health_Protection

2. http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Health_claims/health_reassurance