At the 8th session of the 15th National Assembly, the National Assembly agreed to ban the production, trading, import, storage, transportation, and use of electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products, gases, and addictive substances that are harmful to human health from 2025, ensuring public health, social order, and safety.
This decision demonstrates the support and determination of the Party, National Assembly, and Government in protecting people's health, putting health benefits above economic benefits. This decision has received the consensus and support of the majority of people and has been highly appreciated and praised by the World Health Organization and international friends.
In the coming time, the implementation of the ban on new types of tobacco will pose many challenges. In particular, what will the health sector have to do and what plans will be made to effectively implement the ban on new tobacco products? That is the reason why Lao Dong Newspaper, in collaboration with the Tobacco Harm Prevention Fund - Ministry of Health, organized an online seminar "Implementing the ban on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products - what needs to be done", to listen to opinions from experts.
Guests attending the talk show include:
- Representative of the World Health Organization WHO in Vietnam - MSc. Dr. Nguyen Tuan Lam, expert in tobacco harm prevention
- Ms. Doan Thu Huyen, Country Director in Vietnam, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, USA (CTFK).
Heated vaping products are extremely harmful to health. They contain toxic chemicals that cause cancer and increase the risk of heart and lung disease. In the short term, they can also cause serious acute lung injury and even death.
Associate Professor, Dr. Vu Van Giap - Deputy Director of the Respiratory Center, Deputy Director of Bach Mai Hospital emphasized: Smoking causes many chronic and incurable diseases and is the leading cause of death that can be prevented.
Cigarette smoke contains about 7,000 chemicals, including 69 carcinogens and is the cause of 25 different groups of diseases, including 11 types of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases and affects the reproductive health of both men and women. It is estimated that 1 in 2 smokers will die prematurely.
According to the latest WHO report, globally, an estimated 19 million adolescents aged 13-15 (13 million boys and 6 million girls) are smoking, of which about 5 million adolescent smokers live in the Southeast Asia region.
Surveys in most countries show that the rate of children aged 13-15 using tobacco products, especially new tobacco products such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, is high.
In Vietnam, the achievements in tobacco control are at risk of being undermined by the rapid increase in the use of new tobacco products, mainly e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, especially among young people. In the 13-15 age group, the rate has doubled from 3.5% in 2022 to 8% in 2023.
