The Philippine Ministry of Health is urging President Rodrigo Duterte to veto parliament’s passage of an e-cigarette law that would legalize e-cigarettes by substituting smoking, which are currently banned until he reaches his decision.
The Philippine Ministry of Health issued a statement saying, “The e-cigarette bill runs counter to public health goals and President Duterte’s firm position to protect Filipinos – especially young people – from the harmful effects of tobacco products, tobacco, steam products and heated tobacco products. If passed, the e-cigarette bill would also nullify the benefits of the Republic Act No. 11223 (Universal Health Care Act) and other health laws. It will put young people in the Philippines at unwarranted risk of harmful and addictive substances related to the use of steam, such as alcohol, marijuana and possibly other illicit drugs.”
Parliament approved the legalization of e-cigarettes in the Philippines by both the lower house of parliament and the senate in January 2022, awaiting the signature of the president for his final power who has the right to veto. The Ministry of Health, however, did not seem to agree with the promulgation of the legislation during the approval process, for which it exercised influence over the president for his right not to sign it.
The opposite is true in Thailand, where the Minister of Digital Economy and Society has urged his country and the Tobacco Control Parliamentary Committee to legalize the marketing of tobacco substitutes and to allow them to be marketed.
The Thai Minister of Digital Economy handed over a resolution to the relevant parliamentary committee, saying that the circulation of e-cigarettes in the country’s market would help 52% of the ten million Thai smokers who are unable to quit smoking to achieve this.
Meanwhile, extremism is prevailing in self-governing Hong Kong, China, where e-cigarettes have been banned since May Day under a law passed in October 2021 that came into force a few days ago. Authorities arrested 11 people on Friday and seized Hong Kong $ 15 million worth of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco from customs following a ban on importing and selling them in the big city market. Further arrests were later performed in the city itself accusing detainees of possessing smoking alternatives and even attempting poisoning. The majority of Hong Kong residents, although not prohibited from using their latest stocks, return to the vast majority of conventional smoking without being able to purchase spare parts for their electronic devices. Ninety percent of Hong Kong smokers with no choice but to quit smoking said they would now turn to conventional smoking out of desperation. The stores selling e-cigarettes and heated tobacco in Hong Kong have all been closed indefinitely, and no diversions were observed during the Ministry of Health inspection outside the closed stores.
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