Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has established a technical distinction between (a) heat-not-burn products, (b) Snus and (c) other reduced risk products, to help distinguish them from more harmful tobacco products.

Public Health England’s evidence review of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products in 2018 suggests that heat-not-burn products still pose harm to users and bystanders, although they are likely to be less harmful than conventional cigarette smoking. Snus is banned in the United Kingdom and there is evidence it is associated with risk of adverse health effects and higher all-cause mortality.

The Department has not established a technical distinction between heat-not-burn products, snus and other reduced risk products, to distinguish them from other harmful tobacco products. The Government is committed to helping people quit all forms of tobacco use, which includes the use of safer nicotine delivery such as vaping.