While the Ministry of Industry and Trade proposed to pilot the management of e-cigarettes, the Ministry of Health said that it is necessary to ban the import and sale of this item.
“This is a new trend, focusing mainly on the younger generation. Should it be opened for testing and piloting? If we can’t stop it in the future, who will be responsible for people’s lives?”, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan spoke at the explanation session organized by the Social Committee on state management responsibility for electronic cigarettes and heated cigarettes, on the morning of May 4.
Previously, in Decree 67 on tobacco business amended by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (appraised by the Ministry of Justice), this agency proposed a pilot e-cigarette management to tighten illegal trade. floating products. The Decree is being completed to be submitted to the Government for consideration and promulgation.
When answering questions from delegates, Minister Lan repeatedly emphasized the opinion that “the Ministry of Health still proposes a ban” and has been consistent up to now. Electronic 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 the Law on Prevention and Control of Harmful Effects of Tobacco was issued in 2012 and at that time electronic and heated cigarettes were not popular, so the law did not regulate them. 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 studying and proposing to the Government to submit to the National Assembly a Resolution banning the production, sales, import, and advertising of electronic cigarettes, heated cigarettes, and similar products. In the long term, the Ministry of Health will amend and supplement the Law on Tobacco Harm Prevention to ensure consistency.
Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan spoke on May 4. Image: National Assembly Media
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Phan Thi Thang said that the pilot proposal “aims for better management” with appropriate documents and decrees as tools. The goal is still to ensure people’s health. Because there is no clear mechanism, market management and police handling are not deterrent enough. “That is the main concern, so let’s go into better management. If implemented as currently, the sanctions are unclear,” Ms. Thang said.
Ms. Thang shared that when the Ministry of Industry and Trade developed and submitted the policy, the Ministry of Health did not agree. The government asked the two ministries to sit down and agree on this point of view, but “so far the views of the two ministries have not been able to agree”.
Standing Committee on Culture and Education Do Chi Nghia also expressed concern with the proposal to legalize e-cigarettes. “Why does the Ministry of Industry and Trade propose this while the report says countries that allow management and restrictions have failed? Why is this content inconsistent and how does this discrepancy affect product management? This very toxic product,” Mr. Nghia questioned.
Similarly, Deputy Head of the Culture and Education Committee Nguyen Thi Mai Hoa is concerned about the social and health impacts of this proposal. According to her, the Ministry of Industry and Trade needs to fully evaluate the economic benefits of selling e-cigarettes and the harmful effects of health care costs, especially for young human resources.
Delegate Nguyen Anh Tri (former Director of the Central Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion) agreed with not piloting the management of e-cigarettes because they are “addictive and carcinogenic”. The harmful effects of e-cigarettes have been recognized worldwide and he believes that this product has “no advantages whatsoever” in its management and use.
According to the Ministry of Health, e-cigarettes are operated by heating a solution of substances containing nicotine or flavors, often dissolving into propylene glycol and/or glycerine. At least 60 chemical compounds have been found in e-cigarette liquid (also known as e-liquid) and many other compounds found in the gas/smoke produced from e-cigarettes.
E-cigarettes do not contain tobacco ingredients but only use flavorings and chemicals. Therefore, this item is not a cigarette as defined by the Law on Tobacco Harm Prevention and Control and is not within the scope of regulation.
According to the results of an investigation by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Health with students in 11 provinces and cities, the rate of e-cigarette use among 13-17 year old students increased from 2.6%. in 2019 to 8.1% in 2023. The 13-15 year old group more than doubles from 3.5% in 2022, to 8% in 2023. Among females aged 11-18, the rate of e-cigarette use is 4.3%.
According to WHO and the US CDC, new tobacco products are addictive because they contain nicotine; cancers, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, and mental health effects. E-cigarettes also have the risk of causing many acute effects such as acute lung injury (EVALI), poisoning, injury due to battery explosion, increased risk of using regular cigarettes, increased risk of drug use. drugs and other addictive substances.