Many parents support
The Ministry of Health is seeking opinions on the draft Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms (amended), which proposes to ban people born from January 1, 2010 from buying and using tobacco. This proposal was made in the context that the rate of using e-cigarettes and heated tobacco among young people tends to increase, leading to many risks to public health.
According to the draft orientation, limiting the generation allowed to access tobacco is expected to gradually reduce the number of new smokers in the future, towards building a smoke-free living environment.
Before this proposal, many parents expressed their agreement, saying that strong measures are needed to protect teenagers from the effects of tobacco and nicotine-containing products.
Mr. Tran Van Kien (Me Linh commune, Hanoi) said that he himself has a child who is in their teens, so he is very worried about the risk of children being exposed to cigarettes from the outside environment.
According to Mr. Kien, currently e-cigarettes and heated tobacco are becoming increasingly popular with eye-catching designs, many flavors, easily making young people curious to use them. Meanwhile, school-age children often do not fully realize the harmful effects on health.
Cigarettes are very harmful to health, especially for young children and teenagers. Families with teenage children are also worried that their children will be dragged, trained to smoke and then become addicted," Mr. Kien shared.
Sharing the same view, Ms. Tran Thi Thuy (Hanoi) said that her family always strictly reminds and prohibits her children from using stimulants and tobacco.
According to Ms. Thuy, many parents today want more strict regulations to limit children and students from accessing tobacco in all forms.
Not only affecting the health of smokers and those around them, cigarettes also destroy the future, physical and mental development of young children. If there are strong regulations to prevent young people from accessing cigarettes early, it will be very good for the health of children in the long term," Ms. Thuy said.
She also expressed her agreement with the proposal of the Ministry of Health, saying that this is a necessary solution to reduce the number of smokers in the future, limit tobacco-related diseases and reduce pressure on the health system.
The most important thing is not to create new smokers
Discussing the harmful effects of tobacco, Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen - Director of the Poison Control Center, Bach Mai Hospital, said that traditional tobacco as well as new types of tobacco cause many serious consequences for public health.
Traditional cigarettes contain about 7,000 chemicals, including about 69-70 carcinogens and gene mutations. Nicotine is both addictive and toxic, and contributes to cancer. As a result, Vietnam currently has nearly 2 million people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, not to mention cardiovascular diseases, strokes or affecting fertility," the doctor said.
According to doctors, many people start smoking young and have difficulty quitting after becoming addicted to nicotine. Meanwhile, new tobacco products are trending to attract young people through diverse forms and flavors.
The most important point is not to create new smokers. If there are appropriate management measures, especially for young people, it will contribute to protecting public health in the future," the doctor emphasized.
