13-15 year olds are nine times more likely to use e-cigarettes than adults
At the 11th session of the Conference of the Parties to the FCTC recently held in Geneva, Switzerland, the World Health Organization (WHO) strongly warned about the trend of tobacco companies taking advantage of the concept of "harm reduction" to promote products such as e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, new tobacco and nicotine products, causing confusion in the community.
Delegates attending the 11th session of the Conference of the Parties to the FCTC Framework Convention
This contrasts with genuine harm reduction programs in other areas of public health, where health professionals and agencies pursue health goals by implementing evidence-based strategies and interventions that are closely controlled and monitored.
According to WHO, the high and rising rate of e-cigarette use among young people is a cause for concern. The latest trend data from WHO shows that more than 15 million children aged 13-15 are using e-cigarettes. This age group is nine times more likely to use e-cigarettes than adults.
Tobacco and nicotine product companies, along with related front groups, increasingly promote a wide variety of tobacco, nicotine, and related products.
They claim that these products pose a lower health risk than conventional cigarettes and could be part of a "harm reduction" approach to tobacco control.
These products commonly include electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), nicotine pouches, heated tobacco products (HTPs), and smokeless tobacco products.
The WHO asserts that the use of misleading descriptions for cigarettes such as "light" and "mild", the use of filters to suggest that they are less harmful, and the deliberate design of products to deceive machine tests.
And this is not just a thing of the past, as they continue to mislead consumers and regulators about the risks posed by their products.
It is necessary to include new tobacco products in the list of prohibited investment and business sectors.
Dr. Ulysses Dorotheo, Executive Director of the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA), said that Vietnam, like other ASEAN countries, is facing the problem of increasing use of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, especially among young people.
Mr. Ulysses Dorotheo assessed that the Vietnamese Government has shown a strong and unified commitment to preventing harmful products such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products. The Vietnamese National Assembly issued a Resolution banning e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, following Resolution No. 72 of the Politburo on protecting, caring for and improving people's health.
Dr. Ulysses Dorotheo, Executive Director of the Southeast Asia Anti-Tobacco Alliance.
"However, we are concerned that the current draft Investment Law (amended) only includes traditional tobacco in the list of conditional business lines, but does not yet stipulate a complete ban on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.
This omission poses a serious risk to public health, especially to the youth - the future generation of Vietnam. Therefore, it is necessary to include e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products in the list of prohibited investment and business sectors to ensure the consistency of the legal system," Dr. Ulysses Dorotheo emphasized.
According to Dr. Ulysses Dorotheo, in essence, this is not just a "ban", but a commitment to sustainable development, expressing the view: health is the most valuable asset of the nation, and people are at the center of all policies.
This approach not only helps Vietnam keep pace with global public health policy trends, but also affirms Vietnam's role as a pioneering and responsible country in protecting public health - something that has been highly appreciated by WHO and the international community.
Previously, the Ministry of Health had issued a document proposing to include the prohibition of investment and business in "electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco" in Article 6 of the draft Investment Law (amended) to comply with the provisions of Resolution No. 173/2024/QH15.
At the recent meeting of the Discussion Group on the Investment Law (amended), many National Assembly Deputies also expressed their opinions that e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products are harmful products. The National Assembly has also passed a Resolution on banning e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, so the draft Investment Law (amended) must prohibit the trading of these products.
Regarding Article 6 of the draft Investment Law (amended), in the discussion session on the afternoon of November 11 of the National Assembly, National Assembly Delegate Le Hoang Anh, from the Gia Lai National Assembly Delegation, proposed to add to Article 6 of the Draft Investment Law on prohibited investment and business sectors the following content: "Prohibiting investment and business in electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products and other new generation tobacco products."
Article 6 does not stipulate a ban on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, which is also contrary to Resolution 173/2024/QH15, which stipulates that "The National Assembly unanimously prohibits the production, trading, import, storage, transportation, and use of e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, gases, and addictive substances that are harmful to human health from 2025"; at the same time, it does not carry out the tasks assigned by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 1665/QD-TTg dated August 5, 2025 on the plan to implement Resolution 173 of the National Assembly, which assigns the Ministry of Finance to "review and develop a Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Investment Law" and "propose solutions consistent with the provisions of law and the law compliance situation of enterprises".
In Vietnam, a report compiled from nearly 700 medical facilities showed that in 2023 there were 1,224 hospitalizations related to new tobacco use.
In Vietnam, a report compiled from nearly 700 medical facilities shows that in 2023, there were 1,224 hospitalizations related to new tobacco use. Of these, more than 1,100 cases had used these products for a long time, causing serious health effects.
A new study from the University of Public Health in collaboration with the Tobacco Harm Prevention Foundation and Vital Strategies shows that, during the period from October to December 2023, a survey of 3,801 students from grades 6 to 12 in 11 provinces and cities showed that 96.2% of students knew about e-cigarettes, and 37.8% knew about heated tobacco.
Notably, 14% of students had tried e-cigarettes and 7% had used them in the past 30 days. The same rate for heated tobacco products was 1.8% who had used them and 1% who were current users.
Source: https://suckhoedoisong.vn/viet-nam-va-cac-nuoc-asean-dang-doi-mat-voi-viec-gia-tang-su-dung-cac-loai-thuoc-la-moi-169251121182459011.htm
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