Big tobacco firms plan launch of vaping products in UAE

Tobacco giants are planning a full-scale assault on the UAE’s emerging e-cigarette market after authorities agreed to permit their sale.

British American Tobacco and Philip Morris International - two of the biggest cigarette producers in the world - are both now set to launch products in the country.

Their move comes as the UAE government announced plans to lift a ban on the sale of electronic cigarettes and related smoking paraphernalia next month.

Experts believe other brands may soon follow, cashing in on a market now worth some US$26bn (Dh95bn) per year globally.

“In the UAE specifically, regulators have long looked at the e-cigarette and vapour category,” said Julian Prynn, marketing director at BAT Middle East.

“With more evidence-based scientific research emphasising the potential harm reduction of these products, it was only a matter of time until they became legal in the country.”

Tobacco companies around the world are keen to be seen promoting a more smoke-free future.

They say the phasing out of more traditional combustible products, proven to cause lung and other cancers, is one way to help cut smoking-related disease.

Liquid nicotine ‘vaping’ devices and heat-not-burn products - where tobacco leaves are heated via an electronic device at lower temperatures than conventional cigarettes - are central to those plans.

The National