A study led by Dr. Yael Bar-Zeev at Hebrew University of Jerusalem has shown how tobacco companies target younger people and those in a lower socio-economic position to sell their products.
The focus of the study was Phillip Morris’s IQOS product, a popular electronic cigarette that heats tobacco. It found that despite sellers keeping in line with government restrictions on selling tobacco, younger consumers are targeted through the placing of items near toys, candies and similar products, as well as situating them near schools.
Their findings were published in Nicotine and Tobacco Research, a peer reviewed journal.
A concealed audit of 80 stores that sell IQOS or its accompanying tobacco sticks (HEETS) was conducted in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa and Beersheba. The review found that despite the ban on advertisement of tobacco, stores found ways to get round this with signs that read “WE SELL TOBACCO”.
These stores were also near schools with nearly 70% of these stores found to be within 300 meters of high schools and 40% being within walking distance to elementary schools.
“Tobacco companies prove that they don’t care and will do whatever it takes to continue marketing their products and increasing their revenue”, Bar Zeev explained “Israel’s government needs to act decisively, institute a license to sell tobacco, and ban the sale of tobacco products in locations that are in close proximity to schools.”
Furthermore, despite poorer communities tending to have higher smoking rates, the study suggests that IQOS products are being marketed to consumers in higher socio-economic demographic, as evidenced by the higher price tag and the higher-end neighborhoods that sell the product. This would contradict claims by IQOS that their product is aimed at smokers aiming to quit smoking.
One of the study researchers, Professor Hagai Levine at Hebrew University added “Israel’s Minister of Health Nitzan Horowitz announced that he is committed to advancing tobacco legislation. These findings show that the current legislation has serious loopholes that need to be closed to protect public health”.
Explaining the global significance of the findings Professor Levine added, “This study has implications for smoking legislation globally, as it reveals how the tobacco industry uses marketing tactics designed to circumvent government’ attempts to protect their publics’ health”. Phillip Morris later clarified to The Jerusalem Post that " the company pursues a responsible and unequivocal policy according to which there is no marketing or sale of its products to minors, only to adult smokers and is in favor of regulation that will enforce this. IQOS, based on tobacco heating, is not marketed to teens in any way, and is sold to adult smokers who do not quit smoking, as an alternative to smoking only.Adult smokers in Israel, like smokers in the US, have the right to know that the existence of alternative products is preferable to continuing to smoke cigarettes, but within current regulatory framework in Israel, there is no way to make this information accessible to smokers," he added. "We call on the Israeli regulator to hold an in-depth scientific discussion, as conducted by the FDA without foreign considerations and for the sake of public health, and to adapt the regulation in a way that will enable access of adult smokers who do not stop smoking to this important information."