One of the issues that voters nationwide were very interested in at the National Assembly's second question-and-answer session on the health sector on the afternoon of November 11 was, in the end, should we ban or regulate e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products?
This question has been raised many times in the National Assembly forum during its sessions. The most recent time was in May, when the National Assembly held a session to explain the state's management responsibilities in preventing and combating the harmful effects of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.
However, up to now, this question has not been answered. The Ministry of Health has long been persistent in its stance that it should be banned. Meanwhile, some other ministries and sectors believe that it is not advisable to follow the direction of "if you cannot manage it, then ban it", but rather to comprehensively evaluate solutions and conduct more pilot studies for better management.
And while the ministries are still debating, in society, electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products continue to have alarmingly complex developments.
Advertising and selling via social networks is still widespread and uncontrolled, especially of smuggled electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products.
This has led to a rapid increase in the use of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, especially among the 15-24 age group. The results of a survey by the Ministry of Health in 34 provinces and cities showed that the rate of users had increased 18 times compared to before, to 3.6% in 2020, with the highest concentration in the 15-24 age group.
In the market, there has been a situation of mixing and marinating addictive substances in electronic cigarette and heated tobacco products. In 2023, there were 86 cases with 155 people being handled by authorities for putting drugs in electronic cigarettes. In the first 3 months of 2024 alone, 73 people were handled for this behavior.
The Ministry of Health's specialized units have also researched and evaluated, showing that the use of heated tobacco and e-cigarettes affects the heart, liver, lungs and can cause psychosis. In 2023, 1,234 people required treatment related to e-cigarettes.
At the question-and-answer session on the afternoon of November 11, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan once again proposed amending the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms, including regulations banning e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.
This is a necessary, urgent and reasonable proposal in the context of the increasing impact of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products. This proposal needs to be supported to soon become a reality.
There needs to be an end to the debates surrounding the ban or regulation of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products in a direction that prioritizes protecting the health of the people and the race!
