Banning electronic cigarettes: What needs to be done now

Although e-cigarettes have overcome many of the disadvantages of traditional cigarettes, according to health experts, they are still one of the most addictive products and contain substances that are harmful to health. In the context of the use of e-cigarettes becoming popular in Vietnam, especially among young people, many health experts have proposed an immediate ban on the circulation of e-cigarettes.

Electronic cigarettes cause unpredictable harm. Illustration photo: Minh Quyet – VNA

Unforeseen consequences

According to statistics, there are more than 1 billion smokers in the world , of which 847 million are adult males, 153 million are female; and 24 million are adolescents aged 13-15.

In terms of harm, tobacco increases the risk of disease and death, causes poverty and has negative impacts on the environment, economy and society around the world. Every year, the world has up to 8 million deaths due to smoking, of which about 1 million deaths are due to passive smoking. In Vietnam, this number is 40,000 people.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the global economic loss caused by tobacco is 1,400 billion USD each year. Tobacco is the cause of deforestation and environmental pollution. Every year, about 5% of the forest area is destroyed to grow tobacco, as well as to get wood to dry tobacco. WHO estimates that every year, the world needs 18 billion trees to make firewood to dry tobacco. Moreover, the use of tobacco releases into the environment each year about 3,000 to 6,000 tons of formaldehyde, from 12,000 to 47,000 tons of nicotine and from 300 to 600 million kg of toxic waste from cigarette butts. In Vietnam, the cost of overcoming the consequences of tobacco is estimated to account for 1% of GDP.

Electronic cigarettes should be banned soon.

Electronic cigarettes are another version of traditional cigarettes. This product overcomes many disadvantages of traditional cigarettes such as limiting smoke and unpleasant odors... However, that does not mean that electronic cigarettes are not harmful. This is still one of the addictive products and contains toxic substances that affect health. Even some heavy types such as 100W vape are more harmful than cigarettes.

Dong Nai discovered hundreds of electronic cigarette products of unknown origin. Photo: VNA

According to medical experts, any segment of electronic cigarettes such as vape, pod or IQOS has a direct impact and impact on the nervous system and especially the brain area of ​​the user. In addition, the harmful effects of electronic cigarettes on the respiratory system are no different from traditional cigarettes. Ultra-fine particles from essential oils and cigarette smoke will penetrate deep into the lungs and cause dry cough, tuberculosis cough and, in severe cases, lung cancer.

On the other hand, the main ingredient of e-cigarettes is nicotine. If used regularly and continuously, this addictive substance is the main cause of cardiovascular diseases such as blood vessel blockage, especially causing early stroke in today's youth.

In addition, pregnant women who are regularly exposed to e-cigarette smoke are at risk of stillbirth, miscarriage, birth defects or premature birth. As for babies, children aged 0-3 years old may have delayed brain development.

Mr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen, Director of the Poison Control Center of Bach Mai Hospital, emphasized that the chemical and drug composition of e-cigarettes is much more complex than that of traditional cigarettes. Synthetic marijuana is the largest, most complex and most challenging group of drugs, while vape electronic cigarettes are the main environment for synthetic marijuana drugs.

In Vietnam, the use and even abuse of e-cigarettes is becoming more and more popular, especially among young people. According to the results of a survey on tobacco use among adolescents in 2022, the rate of e-cigarette use among 13-15 year olds will be 3.5%, a sharp increase from 2.6% in 2019, said Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Huong, Director of the Tobacco Harm Prevention Fund (Ministry of Health).

The increase in e-cigarette use among adolescents threatens to undermine the progress Vietnam has made in reducing the use of conventional cigarettes over the past 10 years. However, in terms of law, Vietnam still has no regulations prohibiting the sale or use of e-cigarettes. Therefore, to manage this product, Mr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen proposed that the circulation of e-cigarettes in Vietnam should be immediately banned, completely banned, without testing, without evaluation or monitoring.

Currently, heated tobacco products are very diverse, many products are hybrids between heated tobacco and electronic cigarettes, mixed, marinated with electronic solutions and even types that do not directly heat tobacco products but combine electronic cigarette solutions and tobacco ingredients.

Faced with the increasing use of tobacco by young people, especially new heated tobacco products, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Huong proposed not to allow pilot testing of heated tobacco products, and not to allow electronic cigarettes to enter the Vietnamese market under the label of heated tobacco products because disguised use will be very difficult to control./.

Trong Kien