SHORTFILLS A Strain ON UKRAINE

Ukraine have instigated a reform on their vaping policies in July of this year, enforcing a ban on the use of e-cigarettes and the promotion of heated-tobacco products via advertisements in public spaces. The advertising rule will extend to a variety of platforms, both digital and physical, with the ban eradicating any promotion on social media, public transportation, and all civic proceedings. Citizens of Ukraine will be fined in the case of violation, with subsequent fines for repeat offenders at a higher cost, a reality that resembles prohibition in yet another part of the world.

WHO ARE YOU Helping?

The World Health Organisation continues its ‘smoke-free’ future mission with an ill-judged campaign around tobacco farming. On World No Tobacco Day, the WHO launched their “grow food, not tobacco” message, addressing hunger through photographs of starving children. However, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, tobacco growth accounts for less than 1/1000th of land used for crops. Advocate Clive Bates said: “The child in the photo has been exploited to personify a baseless argument in a misguided PR campaign. “There are plenty of good reasons to quit smoking, but starving children is not among them. This is profoundly unethical.”