In the tobacco Control Framework Convention (FCTC) under the World Health Organization (WHO) as well as the decision of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), heated tobacco (heated tobacco) is classified as a tobacco product.
Management to avoid double damage
Although the state has always made efforts to prevent cigarette smuggling, because the profits of illegal trading activities are too "attractive", this situation still shows no signs of cooling down, even during the current epidemic period.
Not only causing tax losses, cigarette smuggling also creates an additional burden for authorities in organizing human resources to handle violations and illegal destruction costs. As for smoke-free cigarettes, the law does not clearly stipulate the punishment, causing confusion among officials; smugglers are increasingly "weak" when arrested.
Therefore, it is understandable why from 2017 to present, the Government has repeatedly requested inter-sectoral agencies to urgently study measures to manage non-smoked tobacco products, including heated tobacco products.
Representatives of some sectors have also repeatedly spoken out about the need to manage these products soon; As for heated tobacco products, which are themselves tobacco products, there is no reason to delay management, creating conditions for organizations of lenient criminals to make such profits.
"Forcing" heated tobacco into the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms will help the country avoid the above double damage, especially in the context of the country suffering economic losses due to the epidemic that has lasted for 2 years.
Not stopping there, the management of the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harm Applied to heated tobacco will also be the basis for building a legal framework, strictly regulating the punishment of smuggling crimes to avoid the situation of poor quality smuggled goods, even disguised as attacks on schools.
The Institute of Health Policy Strategy in Hanoi has just announced that up to 5.2% of adolescents have never smoked but smoke e-cigarettes. Although there are currently no data on the impact on young people of smuggled heating tobacco products, the idea of heating tobacco products is under the law, and authorities need to take early action to avoid the situation of "losing cows to worry about building a barn".
Preventing young people from using: Propaganda is only a part
Currently, out of 66 markets that have officially commercialized heated tobacco products, about 2/3 of countries are in the FCTC Framework Convention under WHO. In these countries, the responsibility of preventing young people from using heated tobacco products belongs not only to the government, but also to the coordination with public health organizations and tobacco companies. These governments apply a framework for managing and controlling tobacco products that are in accordance with the law, along with policies to propagate the harmful effects of all types of tobacco in general and encourage smoking withdrawal in the community.
Tobacco companies strictly implement solutions and principles of practice to control the impact on young people, comply with government regulations, and coordinate to strengthen smuggling control. In the above markets, buyers must declare and verify their age using identification documents when making a purchase (both online and in person), receiving goods, accessing the product website and interacting directly at points of sale. Only those who meet the age requirements are provided with product information.
The location of the sale of heated tobacco products must be within a minimum radius of 100m from the nearest campus boundary of the facility.
According to experts, when this method is thoroughly applied, the rate of young people's access to heated tobacco products is almost under control.
A 2018 study by Japan shows that the country has commercialized heated tobacco products for more than 5 years, showing that only 0.1% of junior high and high school students use heated tobacco products. However, this group of students had also smoked cigarettes before, not a new user. This shows that the attraction of young people to heated tobacco products is very low.
The above study is also consistent with the results in countries such as the US, UK, Germany, Switzerland, New Zealand, ... It is necessary to recognize the reality that, with cigarettes, although the Law clearly stipulates the penalty framework for selling to adolescents, the rate of young people using this product is still a burning issue. With smoke-free cigarettes, experience from previous countries shows that the conditions to prevent this situation clearly have many advantages, and have been proven in practice.
Propaganda on the harmful effects of tobacco is necessary, but not enough. What society is waiting for is the quick action of authorities in managing heated tobacco products, creating momentum for research on appropriate measures for the remaining non-smoked tobacco products.
