The WHO welcomes the strong stance of the Vietnamese National Assembly in banning e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.

(PLVN) - The World Health Organization (WHO) welcomes the strong decision of the Vietnamese National Assembly to add a regulation prohibiting investment or trading in e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products to the recently passed amended Investment Law. WHO considers this a decisive and unprecedented step to protect the younger generation from addictive products that are harmful to public health.

This morning (December 11th), the National Assembly passed the amended Investment Law, notably including a provision prohibiting investment in and trading of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products. Speaking to the Vietnam Law Newspaper after the approval, the Head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Representative Office in Vietnam, Dr. Angela Pratt, expressed her delight and appreciation for this decision. She stated that WHO “highly welcomes” the National Assembly's decision to add e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products to the list of products prohibited from investment or trading in the newly approved Investment Law.

Dr. Angela Pratt, Head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Representative Office in Vietnam, shared WHO's perspective on the Vietnamese National Assembly's decisive decision to ban e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products. (Video: Thanh Ha).

Angela Pratt reiterated that, a year ago, the Vietnamese National Assembly demonstrated strong leadership and responsibility in the field of public health by enacting a comprehensive ban on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, aiming to protect the health and future of Vietnam's young generation.

"The Vietnamese National Assembly's adoption of Resolution 173/2024/QH15 in November 2024, prohibiting the production, trading, import, storage, transportation, and use of these products, is a significant milestone in public health, highly appreciated internationally," she emphasized.

According to WHO representatives, the health risks from these products can be very serious, especially for adolescents. Nicotine consumption in children and adolescents severely impacts brain development, leading to long-term consequences such as learning disabilities and anxiety. In addition, the toxic substances in these products increase the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and lung disease.     

Congress has unanimously agreed not to allow any form of investment or business activity related to e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, without exception.

The WHO Representative in Vietnam, Dr. Angela Pratt, stated: “WHO is delighted with the decision to include e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products in the list of prohibited business sectors under the Investment Law, without any exceptions. This is a key element in ensuring the effective implementation of the ban imposed by the Vietnamese National Assembly under Resolution 173.”

Any exemptions, exceptions, or loopholes in the Investment Law or related laws could lead to unintended consequences and severely undermine the public health impacts of the National Assembly's decision to ban these harmful products. For example, allowing the production of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products for export, or allowing heated tobacco products made from pure tobacco, would pave the way for these products to flood the domestic market. Allowing the production of any such products in Vietnam would make the implementation of Resolution 173 very difficult, if not impossible, and would diminish the effectiveness of public health protection.

“E-cigarettes and heated tobacco products are unsafe and very harmful to health. With the decision to include e-cigarettes in the list of prohibited business sectors, the National Assembly has affirmed that Vietnam will not trade health – a core element of social progress and economic development – ​​for short-term growth,” said Dr. Pratt.

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/who-hoan-nghenh-lap-truong-manh-me-cua-quoc-hoi-viet-nam-trong-viec-cam-thuoc-la-dien-tu-thuoc-la-nung-nong.html