Q&A
FEATURE
CHARLES HAMSHAW-THOMAS
WE TALK TO THE ORGANISER OF THE NEXT GENERATION NICOTINE DELIVERY
CONFERENCE ABOUT THE EVENT, AND THE VAPE INDUSTRY GOING FORWARD.
SHORTLY AFTER THE NEXT GENERATION NICOTINE DELIVERY CONFERENCE
RETURNED TO LONDON TO ENJOY ITS FOURTH OUTING, WE CARRIED OUT AN
EXCLUSIVE Q&A SESSION WITH ITS FOUNDER AND HEAD, CHARLES HAMSHAW-
THOMAS. CHARLES HAD PLENTY TO SAY ON EVERYTHING FROM SHORTFILLS TO
LONG TERM STRATEGY. HERE’S WHAT WE LEARNED FROM TALKING TO CHARLES.
VM: In an interview ahead of the event, you spoke of some
noteworthy developments for the trade of alternative
nicotine delivery systems:
• CAP consultation on changes
• Christopher Chope’s (MP) Private Members’ Bill to exempt
e-cigarettes from UK law derived from Article 20
• Stoptober’s e-cig inclusion
• NICE consultation on draft guidance
• PHE’s next evidence report on e-cigarettes
Which of these do you see as carrying the most weight?
CHT: Potentially all of them are significant. One must also consider
the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology Committee’s
Enquiry on E-cigarettes (announced 25 October 2017). They all
indicate a growing body of interest in, support for and endorsement
of vaping and other reduced risk new nicotine products as a third
tobacco harm reduction plank – alongside discouraging initiation of
smoking and encouraging cessation – to UK public health policies
regarding tobacco and smoking.
In my view, Public Health England’s Stoptober Campaign and their
endorsement of e-cigarettes as an aid to stop smoking could well
be viewed as a game-changer for the industry. With hindsight in
years to come, when the history of e-cigarettes and vaping comes
to be written, I’d suggest it’ll be seen as a seismic moment in
e-cigarettes gaining greater public legitimacy.
Also of interest to me was the pre-announcement of the Committee
of Advertising Practice, made at both the Next Generation Nicotine
Delivery Event and the E-Cigarette Summit, which suggested that
the current prohibition (under both the CAP and BCAP Codes) on
manufacturers and suppliers making health claims like claims that
e-cigarettes are healthier and safer than tobacco may be eased.
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An announcement is expected soon and if the prohibition is indeed
eased, it’s likely that the marketers will need robust evidence to
substantiate that any claims made (even general ones) are true for
their product. It’s undoubtedly an interesting development and a
case of “watch this space!”
VM: Do you feel Next Generation Nicotine Delivery 2017
achieved everything it set out to achieve?
CHT: From all those I’ve spoken with who attended, I’ve got the
sense that they felt the event was a further progression of the
necessary industry dialogue about the key challenges and issues
that the industry faces.
As Chair, the key takeaways were firstly, the potential size of the
market and whether it’s being significantly under-stated, due to
its youth and the diverse and fragmented market place of online
and on the high street, in convenience stores, supermarkets,
pharmacies and specialist vape shops. There is still limited robust
evidence and quantitative data regarding the size and make-up of
the UK market.
Secondly, there is a growing sense that the industry is maturing
and that more of its participants are understanding the challenges
ahead and the need for investment and collaboration on the
common issues uniting us.
There was also much discussion over some of the most immediate
challenges in the marketplace – notably the ‘short-filling’ practice
which is seriously undermining industry pricing and profitability.
VM:Which particular talks and issues raised at the
conference do you feel deserve more recognition and
attention?