Therefore, Mr. Luan said that the Government needs to promulgate an appropriate legal framework to control and ensure a balance of interests of the State, users and businesses. Not making a decision to regulate smoke-free products, according to Mr. Luan, could be a decision that leads to some visible consequences.
Nearly 62 million people use e-cigarettes in the world
At the seminar, Ms. Do Hoang Anh, Director of Legal and External Relations, BAT Group East Asia, introduced electronic cigarettes (vape).
According to Ms. Hoang Anh, the mechanism of operation of a vape is a battery-powered device that heats the e-cigarette solution to create vapor that the user inhales. In particular, electronic cigarette solution contains: Nicotine extracted from tobacco ingredients or does not contain nicotine; Fragrances create fragrance; Solvent creates vapor density.
Ms. Hoang Anh said that the market is using two types of electronic cigarettes: closed system and open system.
For open systems, users can add other types of solutions/substances to the e-cigarette solution. This poses a health risk because smokers can prepare their own solution or add substances to smoke.
Ms. Do Hoang Anh, Director of Legal and External Affairs, BAT Group East Asia Region, introduced electronic cigarettes (Photo: Hai Nam).
Electronic cigarettes with closed system are the opposite, only used with solutions prepared and packaged according to the manufacturer’s standards.
Comparing traditional cigarettes with electronic cigarettes, Ms. Hoang Anh said that traditional cigarettes burn tobacco, create smoke, contain high levels of toxic chemicals, and create cigarette butts, while electronic cigarettes do not do so. combustion process, no smoke, much lower toxic content and no cigarette butts.
Regarding “incidents” related to e-cigarettes such as poisoning, e-cigarette solutions containing drugs… Ms. Hoang Anh explained that the main cause is illegal e-cigarettes and e-cigarettes. open system.
Analyzing the market, according to Ms. Hoang Anh, currently the number of e-cigarette users globally is approximately 62 million (as of 2022).
New generation cigarettes (Illustration: GG).
At the seminar, Director of Legal and External Relations, BAT Group East Asia Region refuted a number of concepts about electronic cigarettes such as: E-cigarettes containing nicotine are more harmful than traditional cigarettes; TLDT is more addictive than traditional cigarettes; The main reason why young people like e-commerce is their flavors; In fact, it has been proven that e-cigarettes lead to smoking…
Outlining the current situation of the new generation cigarette market in Vietnam, Ms. Hoang Anh said that user demand is too great, creating conditions for smuggled e-cigarettes to constantly increase, regardless of control efforts.
Therefore, Ms. Hoang Anh proposed to have a policy to simultaneously manage closed system electronic cigarettes and heated cigarettes at the same time; have tax policies consistent with international practices and the risk profile of this product line.