Illustrative photo. (Source: AFP/VNA)HCM City (VNA) – Experts voiced concerns over the
alarming prevalence of e-cigarette and heat cigarette smoking among young people in Vietnam during a conference held by the Ministry of
Information and Communications in Ho Chi Minh City on July 23.
Vietnam has striven hard to reduce the number of traditional
cigarette smokers by 1 – 2 percent a year, but it is nothing compared to a sharp
increase in the number of e-cigarette and heat-not-burn tobacco product users, said Phan
Thi Hai, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Tobacco Control Fund (VNTCF) under the Ministry of Health.
A 2019 survey by the World Health Organisation (WHO) revealed that the prevalence of e-cigarette users among Vietnamese teenagers aged 13 – 17
was 2.6 percent, which is increasing at an alarming rate, she said, adding that
in 2015, only 0.2 percent of Vietnamese people were e-cigarette and heat
cigarette smokers.
The tobacco manufacturers have been luring by
products with compact, eye-catching designs and various flavours, Hai
continued, new-generation tobacco products are targeting both non-smokers and
smokers; and in fact, many smokers of traditional cigarettes are also using
e-cigarettes.
She warned that if Vietnam does not prevent the use of e-cigarette
from expanding further, it will soon face dual impacts of both tobacco
products, even those containing drugs.
Doan Thu Huyen, Country Director of the US-based Campaign
for -Free Kids, said s and s are having negative
effects on young people and smokers. There is a higher risk that young people
might use drugs and other stimulants while smoking e-cigarettes than
traditional cigarettes, she added.
Huyen suggested a ban on all kinds of e-cigarettes and heat
cigarettes should be issued before they become more popular on the market.
Meanwhile, Le Thi Thu from HealthBridge Canada, urged
Vietnam to develop a legal framework to control these two tobacco products.
Authorities should make extra efforts to inspect and prevent production,
imports, marketing and sales of the products, she said./.
Source: VietnamPlus
