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Dear Mr Fulford,



Many thanks for getting back to me with your address.



I realise that electronic cigarettes have been of a real benefit to some people who are trying to give up smoking, and I can assure you that the Government is committed to encouraging people to quit tobacco and supporting them to do so.

The Tobacco Products Directive proposals would allow non-tobacco nicotine-containing products (NCPs) with nicotine levels under 2mg to be sold as consumer products, provided they feature an adapted health warning, but NCPs which exceed certain levels of nicotine could only be placed on the market if they have been authorised as medicinal products.


Following a consultation on how NCPs should be regulated, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is currently co-ordinating further scientific and market research looking, in particular, at the pharmacological effects of certain levels of nicotine and the impact of regulation on public health and businesses.


Over the coming weeks, Ministers will be asked to make decisions on the regulation of NCPs, based on the advice of an expert working group and the Commission on Human Medicines (which advises Ministers on matters relating to the safety, quality and efficacy of
medicines).



This will also inform the Government’s position on all aspects of the Tobacco Products Directive covering NCPs. The Department
recognises that, although there is a lack of evidence of the effectiveness of NCPs, there is a real potential for public health benefit from products that work and are acceptability safe.

Taking all this into account, I am pleased to tell you that the Government has committed to make a final decision on how to regulate NCPs in the spring.

I hope this information is useful and thank you again for taking the time to contact me.



Kind regards,



Steve Brine

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