醫生爸爸愛足球: Government will submit proposed legislative amendments to ban e-cigarettes and other new smoking products.

2018-10-10

Government will submit proposed legislative amendments to ban e-cigarettes and other new smoking products.

The Chief Executive presents Policy Address in Legislative Council this morning. She talks about e-cigarettes and other new smoking products.

Prevention and Control of Diseases

179. Upon announcement of the Towards 2025: Strategy and Action Plan to Prevent and Control Non-communicable Diseases in Hong Kong by the Department of Health in May this year, we have been actively implementing measures to meet various indicators. These measures include promotion of healthy diets and physical activities, reduction in alcohol and tobacco-related harms, and strengthening of the healthcare system.

180. To safeguard the health of the public, the Government has made strenuous efforts in tobacco control. Different measures have been introduced, including the designation and continuous expansion of no-smoking areas, and periodic increases in tobacco duty. With the concerted efforts by the Government and other stakeholders over the years, smoking prevalence among persons aged 15 and above has significantly dropped from over 20% in the 1980s to 10% at present. The Government has also laid down the target of further reducing smoking prevalence to 7.8% by 2025.

181. In recent years, the emergence of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and other new smoking products has posed new health risk and challenges. Often packaged as less harmful substitutes with promotion tactics targeted at youngsters and non-smokers, these products open a gateway to the eventual consumption of conventional cigarettes. The fact is: all these new smoking products are harmful to health and produce second-hand smoke. There is also a lack of sufficient evidence to prove that these products can help quit smoking. The public may underestimate the harmful effects of these products and eventually endorse the smoking image and relevant behaviours once again.

182. Since the Government proposed to legislate for the regulation of e-cigarettes and other new smoking products in the middle of this year, the medical professions, education sector, parents and many members of the public have expressed concerns about the adoption of a regulatory approach for the issue. They are worried that allowing the sale of e-cigarettes and other new smoking products with restrictions in the market will not be adequate to protect public health, and will bring about very negative impact on children and adolescents in particular. After weighing the pros and cons of a regulatory approach as opposed to a full ban, I have decided that, with the protection of public health as the prime consideration, the Government will submit proposed legislative amendments in this legislative session to ban the import, manufacture, sale, distribution and advertisement of e-cigarettes and other new smoking products.