According to the Vietnam News Agency, reports on a recent expert conference hosted by Vietnamese Health Minister Dao Hong Lan suggest that allowing the production of new tobacco products could likely result in more addicted smokers and pose similar health and economic issues as traditional cigarettes.
During the meeting, Deputy Minister of Legal Affairs at the Ministry of Health, Dinh Thi Thu Thuy, stated that the government has taken multiple measures to curb the use of e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and their variants. These measures include awareness campaigns about the potential dangers of e-cigarettes and cracking down on the smuggling of these new tobacco products. However, these products are gaining popularity rapidly among people, especially young people.
According to the report presented at the meeting, new tobacco products often contain various flavorings and chemicals. Consumers can customize the nicotine content of these mixtures to suit their personal tastes, and even add addictive substances, including heroin.
In addition, Ding Shizhen also referenced data from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, pointing out that at least 39 countries and regions have implemented bans on e-cigarettes.
According to the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, 88 countries (including 27 EU countries) have implemented regulations on novel tobacco products. Currently, nearly 20 countries have banned the use of heated tobacco products, including five ASEAN countries such as Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, Thailand, and Brunei.
The Minister of Legal Affairs of the Vietnamese Ministry of Health also added that the regulatory measures for these new tobacco products will depend on the specific socio-economic environment and resources available.
Health experts at the meeting also pointed out that there are currently no successful examples worldwide of banning the use of new tobacco and nicotine products by teenagers. They mentioned that cases in the United States, Canada, Georgia, and Poland have shown that from prohibition or lack of explicit regulations to legalization, there has been a significant increase in e-cigarette use, especially among young people.
Based on recommendations from the World Health Organization and Vietnam's current management capabilities, experts suggest that the Ministry of Health should ban the production, trade, import, and advertising of new tobacco products.
The World Health Organization states that there is no evidence to suggest that e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products are less harmful than traditional cigarettes, as they are equally addictive and have negative effects on individual health, particularly on the brain development of children and adolescents.
Furthermore, there is currently no evidence to prove that e-cigarettes can help smokers quit using traditional tobacco products.
Health Minister Zhao Honglan highly praised the Department of Legal Affairs, the Vietnam Tobacco Control Foundation, and other relevant agencies at the meeting for their positive contributions in preventing the harm caused by tobacco consumption.
She also mentioned that based on the opinions expressed at this meeting, it is expected that a proposal for national regulation of new tobacco products will soon be introduced in order to better protect public health.
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