Cambodia Implements Ban on Electronic Cigarettes in Schools

Cambodia's new guidelines prohibit the use, distribution, and promotion of electronic cigarette products in school campuses and surrounding areas. The Ministry of Education in Cambodia is urging all educational institutions, parents, guardians, educators, and students to cooperate in identifying and reporting any websites selling or distributing electronic cigarettes.

A spokesperson from the Ministry of Health, Ly Sovann, stated that electronic cigarettes are toxic and addictive. He further mentioned that the ministry has banned the import and use of hookahs and e-cigarettes in Cambodia.

Sadly, the potential benefits of e-cigarettes as a smoking alternative and cessation tool have been completely overlooked.

Local tobacco warning.

Meanwhile, in December 2020, the Cambodian Ministry of Health mandated that tobacco companies change their existing health warnings to new ones determined by the ministry, but this has not been fully enforced. In July 2021, the ministry reiterated the need to implement this standard. The Cambodian Movement for Health (CMH) explained that the ministry stated the warnings should be changed every two years. Based on this, tobacco companies intended to change their health warning labels in December 2020, but this did not happen in reality.

To this end, CMH reiterated last year that as of August 2021, all cigarette packages must bear new text and images determined by the department. "If the situation does not change, the effectiveness of health warnings will decrease because people have become accustomed to the same situation. Therefore, the Ministry of Health has decided that health warnings must be changed every two years," CMH said.

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