There's a lot more important work to do after Congress bans new cigarettes.

That is the opinion of Dr. Nguyen Huy Quang, Head of the Consulting, Criticism and Social Appraisal Board of the Vietnam Medical Association, former Director of the Legal Department (Ministry of Health) when talking to reporters of Investment Newspaper.

There's a lot more important work to do after Congress bans new cigarettes.

That is the opinion of Dr. Nguyen Huy Quang, Head of the Consulting, Criticism and Social Appraisal Board of the Vietnam Medical Association, former Director of the Legal Department (Ministry of Health) when talking to reporters of Investment Newspaper.

On November 30, 2024, the National Assembly passed a Resolution on questioning activities at the 8th Session of the 15th National Assembly.

Accordingly, "The National Assembly unanimously prohibits the production, trading, import, storage, transportation, and use of electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products, gases, and addictive substances that are harmful to human health from 2025, ensuring public health, social order and safety; assigns the Government to organize specific implementation.

Dr. Nguyen Huy Quang.

Along with that, promote propaganda work, raise awareness among people, especially young people and teenagers, about the harmful effects of alcohol, beer, cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco, gases, and addictive substances that are harmful to human health.

This is an important decision, but what timely action do we need to take afterwards? Talking to reporters from Investment Newspaper, Dr. Nguyen Huy Quang, Head of the Consulting, Criticism and Social Appraisal Department of the Vietnam Medical Association, former Director of the Legal Department (Ministry of Health) said that there are still many important things to do.

Mr. Quang said that the National Assembly has assigned the Government to organize the implementation, so this is the authority to resolve the issue of the Government, not just the Ministry of Health or any other ministry or sector. The Government directs, the Ministry of Health is the focal agency to closely coordinate with the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Information and Communications, the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Justice, etc. to implement.

In such spirit, to implement the direction and administration in a focused and consistent manner from the beginning, the Government should have a Directive of the Prime Minister on the implementation of this Resolution of the National Assembly to assign responsibility to relevant ministries and branches to implement and organize the implementation immediately without having to wait for any other documents.

The first thing that needs to be done immediately and continuously is to continue to inform, educate, and communicate to raise awareness and change behavior about the harmful effects of e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and addictive gases and substances for people, especially students, university students, and the younger generation.

But to make information, education and communication effective, first of all, focus on the target group of party members, civil servants and public employees who have been using e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products to fulfill their exemplary responsibility of immediately quitting smoking. From there, create a spread to those around them, especially the youth.

Next, according to Mr. Huy Quang, it is the role of the Ministry of Information and Communications, mass media agencies in coordination with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, and the Vietnam Youth Union to carry out strong communication campaigns to influence people so that they understand that smoking electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products will cause great harm to mental health, cause many cancers and economic burdens, as well as behavioral deviations and fight against the production, import, harboring, and trading of these harmful products.

At the same time, it is necessary to review all legal documents, including the Commercial Law, Investment Law, Advertising Law, Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms, etc.

From there, with the new tobacco ban, which documents are appropriate to apply; or how to deal with this issue at a strict level...

Thereby, raising legal issues for implementation or having to build new documents to ensure the strictness of the prohibition. This task should be assigned to the Ministry of Justice as the focal point for implementation.

With the problem of electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco has infiltrated the market through smuggling.

To "clean up" the market and prevent its use, what solutions are needed? According to Mr. Quang, market management agencies must launch a campaign to inspect and examine retail outlets that openly sell e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, and even sell these products through social networks.

Violations must be strictly handled. The Ministry of Industry and Trade, in coordination with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Information and Communications, strictly control and rectify advertisements for e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products publicly on social networks and electronic trading floors.

To prevent smuggling from border gates, the General Department of Customs and Border Guards must strengthen control and inspection at border gates to handle input sources.

The Ministry of Public Security continues to investigate and discover gangs using electronic cigarettes, shisha, and laughing gas; and continues to strictly handle subjects mixing synthetic drugs into electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco.

The Ministry of Education and Training has the responsibility to review schools to prevent tobacco from entering schools, and to prevent students from secretly smoking electronic cigarettes at school; together with parents, educate students and their children, do not consider this a trend of young people and let it go, which will lead to unpredictable consequences.

The Ministry of Health is responsible for coordinating with ministries and sectors to continue collecting evidence on trends in the use of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products in the world and in Vietnam to provide recommendations and necessary solutions.

In addition, the Ministry of Health is also responsible for organizing smoking cessation, especially new cigarettes; having treatment networks for poisoning cases of electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco, and poisoning with synthetic drugs in electronic cigarettes, especially marijuana.

People's Committees at all levels, according to the Law on Organization of Local Government, shall organize the implementation of the ban on electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products, gases, and addictive substances in the areas under their management.

In that spirit, according to the former Director of the Legal Department, every year we need to have a summary and assessment, only then can we prevent the production, import, harboring, trading and use of harmful products such as new cigarettes, shisha, laughing gas; gradually clean up the environment, prevent the impact of these toxic products on the general health, the mental health of users in particular, especially the youth, contributing to good control of non-communicable diseases in Vietnam.

The Ministry of Health is the focal point for synthesizing reports from ministries and branches to synthesize reports for the Prime Minister to have timely direction and also for the Government to report to the National Assembly on the implementation of the Resolution. This work must be done regularly, without interruption. If it is done, this will be a shining example of Vietnam in sustainable development, preventing addictive substances, especially social evils, including drugs.

Finally, according to Mr. Quang, businesses and retail establishments need to strictly enforce the ban and must not delay, because just one day of delay will increase the health risk to people.

“There are many other products in business that can be profitable without causing harm. We should not violate the ban for profit, not only being punished but also committing a crime against the community,” Mr. Quang emphasized.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/con-rat-nhieu-dieu-quan-trong-can-phai-lam-sau-khi-quoc-hoi-cam-thuoc-la-moi-d231824.html