Vape makers face UK ad ban, U.S. crackdown

Times get ever tougher for vapers...

Or at least the firms that make the e-cigarettes.

On Wednesday (December 18) the UK said it was cracking down on adverts for the products on Instagram.

It acted after complaints that the marketing could appeal to children.

Posts that broke the rules included ones featuring British singer Lily Allen.

Now British American Tobacco and three other firms must cease using Instagram to promote e-cigarettes in the UK.

They also have to stop using influencers, and remove offending posts.

Meanwhile, Reuters analysis shows vaping firms could face an even bigger threat in the U.S.

The Food and Drug Administration says makers have until May to prove that their products pass a twin test.

Do they help people quit smoking? And does that benefit outweigh the health damage to new e-cigarette users who never smoked in the first place?

But Reuters analysis of the latest data shows that e-cigarettes have done little to reduce U.S. smoking.

And growth in vaping since 2015 has come entirely from users aged under 25, including teens.

Any firms that fail the FDA tests could face a ban on sales of their products.