In Hong Kong, it is a great victory that thea Coalition of Defenders of Tobacco Harm Reduction in Asia-Pacific (CAPHRA) just got. On June 2, the Hong Kong Legislative Council tabled a bill banning vaping products. Eventually the Smoking Bills Committee ended discussions on the plan to ban both e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.
THE REJECTION OF A BAN ON VAPE, GOOD NEWS!
La Coalition of Defenders of Tobacco Harm Reduction in Asia-Pacific (CAPHRA) has just won an important victory. On June 2, 2020, the Legislative Council of Hong Kong tabled a bill banning vaping products. Its Smoking Bills Committee has ended discussions on plans to ban both vaping and heated tobacco products and other nicotine delivery systems.
« CAPHRA is pleased to see that this impending ban in Hong Kong has been dropped by the government in favor of a pragmatic and scientific approach to tobacco risk reduction ", said Nancy Loucas, executive coordinator of CAPHRA ..
This is great news for smokers, Hong Kong vapers, and the roughly 13 daily users of smokeless products. If the ban had been passed, these products would have been criminalized, the purchase would have become complicated. The draconian proposal would have banned the sale, manufacture, import, distribution or promotion of heated vape and tobacco products punishing offenders with a sentence of up to six months in prison and thousands of dollars in jail. 'fines.
Foes of tobacco risk reduction in Hong Kong, a special administrative region in China with a population of 7,5 million, were not happy with the outcome. "We anticipate an increase in the use of heated tobacco products in the future because we have failed to [ban] them."Said the Dr. Fung Ying, Head of the Office
tobacco and alcohol control.
The victory in Hong Kong could have a positive influence on the countries of the region with much higher smoking rates and therefore higher death rates. A vaping organization in the Philippines, The Vapers Philippines, is among those who applauded Hong Kong's decision. According to the World Adult Tobacco Survey, the smoking rate in the Philippines is almost 24%. Each year, more than 117 Filipinos are killed by diseases caused by smoking.
Peter Paul Dator, member of The Vapers Philippines, said: " Hong Kong's move is also expected to encourage other Asian countries like the Philippines to consider the merits of vaping products as effective tools to quit smoking. »
