E-cigarettes are also addictive
Mr. Nguyen Van Long (Thai Ha, Dong Da, Hanoi) said that he has been using e-cigarettes for 2 years now. Although they do not smell as bad as regular cigarettes, e-cigarettes are still addictive.
"I tried to quit twice, but then I started smoking again," said Nguyen Long.
Mr. Vo Lien (Dang Nhu Mai Street, Vinh, Nghe An) also said that he intended to use electronic cigarettes for a short period to quit smoking, however, after 3 years he still could not quit electronic cigarettes.
Currently, new generation cigarettes (new cigarettes) such as heated tobacco, electronic cigarettes... are not allowed to be imported and circulated in Vietnam. However, users can easily buy these products, because currently, new cigarettes are smuggled into Vietnam in large quantities.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), both e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products contain nicotine, but differ in their ingredients. Heated tobacco products contain ingredients in specially made short cigarettes. E-cigarettes contain essential oil solutions with about 15,500 types of flavorings used, many of which are toxic and harmful to health.
Dr. Nguyen Tuan Lam - World Health Organization (WHO) in Vietnam, affirmed: "Electronic cigarettes contain nicotine, working by heating a liquid containing nicotine to create aerosol gas for users to inhale."
According to Dr. La Quy Huong - Respiratory Department, Tam Anh General Hospital (Hanoi), electronic cigarettes contain nicotine, so they are still addictive like traditional cigarettes. Nicotine in electronic cigarettes is often not clearly quantified, so it is easy to lead to high doses, causing acute poisoning.
According to the new tobacco prevention communication guide for high school students issued with Decision 1751/QD-BGDDT in 2022, it also affirms that nicotine in e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products is a strong and highly toxic addictive substance, therefore causing harm like regular cigarette products.
Early promulgation of new generation tobacco management policy
New tobacco products include e-cigarettes, e-cigars, e-shisha and heated tobacco products. These types of tobacco are not currently allowed to be imported and circulated in Vietnam.
Currently, new tobacco products have not been specifically identified in the list of goods prohibited from export or import and are not included in the list of goods exported or imported under license, conditions or subject to temporary export or import suspension measures.
Mr. Cao Trong Quy - Head of the Department of Industry and Food Consumption - Department of Industry (Ministry of Industry and Trade) assessed that the use of newly smuggled cigarettes not only prevents the State from collecting taxes, but also causes people to use products that are not quality-controlled, leading to health effects.
To date, 184/195 countries have issued regulations on the management of heated tobacco products, 111/195 have issued regulations on the management of electronic cigarettes, including the US, UK, 28 European countries (EU), Japan, Korea, ASEAN countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines... The management mechanism for these two products is different between countries, but the common point is that most of them apply regulations according to the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms of the host country.
According to Ms. Nguyen Quynh Lien - Deputy Director of the Criminal and Administrative Law Department, Ministry of Justice, Vietnam is managing tobacco products by the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms in 2012. At the time of promulgation of this law, there were no new tobacco products in the Vietnamese market, so these products were not subject to the law. However, this does not mean that the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms cannot be applied to new generation tobacco products at present, because WHO has officially recognized heated tobacco products as tobacco.
According to Vice Chairman of the Committee for Culture and Education Ta Van Ha, there must be a competent authority to assess the impact and influence of tobacco on health, living environment, and social environment. From there, the legal corridor for this new product line must be completed.
The Government has assigned the Ministry of Industry and Trade to develop a Decree to replace Decree 67/2013 on tobacco trading, review state management policies for new generation tobacco products, and meet practical requirements for state management of this product.
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