New-generation cigarette smuggling increases, penalties are not close to the level of violation
The situation of smuggled electronic cigarettes attacking schools and reaching young people has sounded the alarm about the increasing illegal import and sale of new generation cigarettes. In countries where new-generation cigarettes are regulated, only adult smokers are allowed to use them, as a conversion solution to minimize the harm.
However, in Vietnam, smuggled products are being advertised as a stylish product, which any teenager can easily access.
Currently, the act of smuggling and illegally displaying new generation cigarettes is only handled as for a type of goods produced abroad without invoices and documents proving their origin. The penalty is not close to the level of violation, so it is not enough to deter. Meanwhile, if they illegally trade a pack of cigarettes, the violator is likely to be fined up to 3 million VND. The State has lost budget revenue, and has to spend human resources, costs to fight smuggling, process and destroy products.
That is not to mention the burden of propaganda and orientation for young people in the face of the storm of misinformation that is constantly flooding the internet while there are no specific regulations to control.
New generation cigarette management is needed soon in the spirit of the Government's direction
Up to now, there are no specific laws for e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, although since mid-2020, the Government has issued an official dispatch to urgently propose separate management policies for these products.
From a management perspective, heated tobacco can be completely put into management right under the current Law on Tobacco Harm Prevention and Control. Because according to the definition, this product contains tobacco ingredients, it should be classified as "other tobacco". It is known that the International Customs Organization also classifies heated tobacco as "other tobacco" while the World Health Organization (WHO) has long recognized heated tobacco as a tobacco product.
The urgent application of heated tobacco products in current regulations will significantly reduce the burden on authorities, while creating a foundation to continue researching appropriate management measures for the remaining new generation of tobacco products.
Referring experiences in managing countries to speed up progress
Vietnam is a market for new-generation cigarettes born after late birth, but it is possible to take advantage of the world's advances to shorten the time for scientific research, or the assessment of the impact of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products on the community, as well as the risk of reaching adolescents.
Currently, leading countries in the fight against the harmful effects of tobacco such as the US, Canada, Japan, Germany, Sweden, New Zealand, ... all allow the commercialization of heating tobacco. The common point in these countries is that management policies are set up to encourage the conversion from cigarettes to non-smoked products.
In the context that international experts believe that stopping smoking incense can reduce the total number of lung cancer cases caused by cigarette smoke by up to 90%, new-generation cigarettes with non-combustion heating technology, no smoke generation are increasingly widely accepted as a measure to minimize harm.
The Canadian Health Assembly recommends that a complete switch from burning cigarettes to new-generation cigarettes can reduce exposure to harmful chemicals. In the US, in 2020, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also recognized a heated tobacco product (submitted and appraised) as a Risk Adjustment - Exposure Reduction (MRTP) Tobacco Product.
