Urge for the immediate passage of the Smoking (Public Health) (Amendment) Bill
Date:2019-2-21 16:43:58 Clicks:685 【Font Size:
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The Government plans to amend the Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance to prohibit the import, manufacture, sale, distribution and advertisement of e-cigarettes and other new smoking products, to protect public health. The amendment bill has been published in Government Gazette and is examined in the Legislative Council Meeting today. Tobacco control groups, academia, medical and healthcare professionals, parents and education sector, youth and social service organizations, patient groups and other sectors express support to the amendment bill and urge the Legislative Council to complete the examination process and pass the bill as soon as possible.
The tobacco industry and related sectors said that the bill would deprive smokers’ choice for “healthier products” and “aids for smoking cessation”. We have to emphasize that there is no safe and harmless tobacco product in the world. E-cigarettes, heat-not-burn tobacco products and other new smoking products release various detrimental and carcinogenic substances. Increasing number of research studies uncovered the severe health impact of using these products. They are not the healthier alternatives. According to the World Health Organization, evidence of e-cigarettes and other new smoking products on smoking cessation is limited and not conclusive. These products are not the legitimate tool for quitting smoking. On the contrary, they are marketed as trendy items and target at non-smokers and youth, making them a gateway to smoking. Some smokers may switch to these products instead of quitting smoking.
Overseas experiences showed that regulatory approach on e-cigarettes and other new smoking products is not able to prevent its epidemic among youngsters. In the US, e-cigarette use among high school students in 2018 was almost 14 times more than in 2011. According to the information of the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, there were over 3 million high school students using e-cigarettes in 2018. The situation is worrying. Dr Scott Gottlieb, Commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration, described that e-cigarettes had become an epidemic, and a ubiquitous and dangerous trend among teens. The disturbing and accelerating trajectory of use in youth and the resulting path to addiction must end. According to the survey conducted by the School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, ever use of e-cigarettes among primary 2 to primary 4 students increased from 2.9% in 2016-2017 to 4.5% in 2017-2018, which surged by 55%.
Hong Kong should nip in the bud the proliferation of e-cigarettes and other new smoking products including heat-not-burn tobacco products and ban them before they become popular. The total ban proposal is widely supported by different community sectors and the general public in Hong Kong. Survey of the Federations of Parent-teacher Associations and The Lok Sin Tong Benevolent Society, Kowloon showed that parents (82%) and youngsters (90%) overwhelmingly support the ban on all new tobacco products.
To protect the health of the public, especially the next generations, the Government and Legislative Council should pass the bill to ban e-cigarettes and new smoking products as soon as possible, so as to prevent from them from becoming the gateway to smoking and avoid the current and future health risks posed by the tobacco epidemic. We also advocate the Government to take a bold step to formulate a goal and timeline for total ban of all tobacco products.