Forest slams decision to ban e-cigarette ads that feature woman exhaling vapour

Wed 24th December, 2014

Campaigners have slammed a decision by the Advertising Standards Authority to ban two e-cigarette television advertisements that feature a woman exhaling vapour.

Simon Clark, director of Forest, said, "The rules on e-cigarette advertising were relaxed to encourage their use by existing smokers.

"The great appeal of e-cigs to many smokers is the fact that they replicate the act of smoking. 

"To encourage smokers to switch advertisers must be allowed to show people exhaling vapour. Failure to do so will greatly reduce their effectiveness.

"Without evidence to support its case, the ASA has no right to ban an advertisement on the spurious grounds that, indirectly, this may encourage people to smoke tobacco. 

"Not for the first time an unelected, out of touch quango has sided with public health zealots whose primary interest is controlling people's behaviour and restricting our freedom to choose between a range of legal consumer products."

Back to top