UK ministers consider advertising policy – both their own and PMI’s

The British government is keeping an eye on the advertising of heated tobacco products such as IQOS, while defending reduced budgets for its own smoking cessation advertising in recent ministerial testimony to a committee on e-cigarettes.

Junior health minister Steve Brine said the government had spent about £1.5m in 2016-17 and an estimated £2m in 2017-18 on social marketing campaigns. This included Stoptober, which last year recommended e-cigarette use for the first time. “I think that made excellent use of the resources available,” Brine said.