Why does Vietnam need to ban electronic cigarettes and heated cigarettes?

At the workshop to share experiences on tobacco control of ASEAN countries, on November 4, Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan said that the prevention of tobacco harms in Vietnam still has many difficulties and challenges. awake.

The number of smokers in Vietnam has decreased but is still very high, especially men. Additionally, the rate of use of this product increased among adolescents. Preliminary results of the survey in 11 provinces/cities in 2023, the rate of electronic cigarette use (TLĐT) among students 13-17 is 8.1%, an increase of 3 times compared to 5 years ago. The number of heated tobacco users (TLNN) in the 13-15 year old group is 1.4%. Usage rates in large cities and urban areas are higher than in rural areas.

“New cigarettes can reverse efforts to control tobacco use among adolescents that have been implemented aggressively over the years,” the Deputy Minister said.

Dr. Ulysses Dorotheo, Executive Director, Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA), also assessed that Vietnam, like other ASEAN countries, is facing the problem of increased use of electronic tobacco products. TLNN, especially among young people.

“The policy of banning e-cigarettes/international crimes is the most effective way to solve this problem and avoid repeating the mistakes of allowing the tobacco epidemic to increase,” he said.

Currently, more than 40 countries and territories have banned TLDT/TLNN. In ASEAN, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore and Thailand have issued bans. While Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines – countries that have yielded to the pressure of the tobacco industry, allowing the sale and advertising of these harmful and addictive products – are facing many difficulties in responding to the epidemic. E-cigarette smoking among young people.

“Vietnam should consider lessons from these countries when deciding to ban or manage these products,” Dr. Dorotheo said, adding that some countries that ban e-cigarettes and e-cigarettes have the lowest smoking rates in the world. such as Singapore (10.1%), Brazil (9.1%) and Hong Kong (9.5%).

Dr. Dorotheo added that contrary to the tobacco industry’s claims, TLDT and TLNN are not safe. They contain nicotine and other toxic and carcinogenic substances. Cases of lung injury associated with the use of e-cigarette products (EVALI) are increasing globally. Like a 22-year-old Filipino man, who died in early 2024 due to heart and lung damage after using TLDT daily for two years.

In fact, in Vietnam, according to reports from nearly 700 medical examination and treatment facilities in 2023, there will be 1,224 hospitalizations due to the use of TLDT and TLNN with symptoms of allergies, poisoning, acute lung injury, and stroke. brain. The Poison Control Center, Bach Mai Hospital regularly receives cases of poisoning and brain damage caused by e-cigarettes, especially drugs found in this product.

In addition, TLĐT and TLNN are not effective methods to support smoking cessation. Smokers who try to quit using e-cigarettes and TLNNs often end up using both e-cigarettes and regular cigarettes. Additionally, teens who use e-cigarettes are three times more likely to start smoking regular cigarettes.

By aligning its tobacco control strategies with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, implementing policies to ban e-cigarettes and illegal tobacco, and imposing stronger tobacco taxes, Vietnam can significantly reduce tobacco use. Count the number of young people addicted to nicotine. These measures are essential to protect the health and interests of future generations, Dr. Dorotheo said.

At the explanation session organized by the Social Committee on state management responsibility for electronic cigarettes and heated cigarettes, in early May, Minister Dao Hong Lan also affirmed that there should not be a pilot but a complete ban. . Electronic cigarettes and heated cigarettes are dangerous, affecting the health of people and the younger generation. This is also consistent with the Party’s resolution; Legal bases, strategies for preventing and controlling tobacco harms that the Government has issued and lessons from international experience.

Ms. Lan said that the Law on Prevention and Control of Harmful Effects of Tobacco was promulgated in 2012 and at that time TLĐT and TLNN were not yet popular, so the law did not stipulate it. Besides, the management of this product also has problems with concepts and standards compared to regular cigarettes.

In the immediate future, the Ministry of Health is researching and proposing to the Government to submit to the National Assembly a Resolution banning the production, trading, import, and advertising of e-cigarettes, foreign products, and similar products. In the long term, the Ministry of Health will amend and supplement the Law on Tobacco Harm Prevention to ensure consistency.