In 2018 October, a Hong-Kong Official announced that a complete ban on e-cigarettes and other contemporary tobacco products. However, on the 2nd of June Legco’s Bills Committee on Smoking made an announcement that it ceased discussions over the ban.
This committee was established in March 2019 to attack the ban which was targeted to impose a ban on electronic devices. However, nine meetings later and three public hearings the committee concluded that allowing the use of electronic cigarettes would provide smokers a safer alternative to smoking. This got the attention of all e-cigarettes users and got great feedback from all around the world. In the committee, some members cited scientific facts that showed that these products had much lower levels of toxicants compared to combustible cigarettes. Executive Coordinator of CAPHRA, Nancy Loucas showed that like Japan And Korea, Hong Kong had a high number of former smokers who switched to HTPs.
Loucas added that sadly in the past many tobacco users were kind of forced back to smoking because they were unable to purchase these electronic products.“Others, with the means, have risked being caught buying through illicit channels. Legislators such as Peter Shui, Raymond CHan, and Cheng Chunt-tai, have repeatedly argued that a ban was neither logical nor feasible. More importantly, all three pointed out that adult smokers should not be deprived of the right to choose tobacco harm reduction,” added afterward.
A large group in the Philippines also were happy to see Hong Kong’s decision, they also said that the Philippines should go through the same path.“We welcome the Hong Kong Legislative Council’s decision to end the discussions on the proposed ban on electronic cigarettes and heat-not-burn tobacco products amid scientific evidence that these smoke-free alternatives have significantly lower levels of toxicants compared to combustible cigarettes,” said Peter Paul Dator of The Vapers Philippines.
“Rather than a proposed ban, authorities should consider regulation of vaping products and other innovations to prevent the rise of underground activities which are not subject to health standards. The decision of the Bills Committee on Smoking also proves what we have been saying all along—that the most effective way to end smoking is to provide the public with better alternatives in the form of harm reduction products such as e-cigarettes and heat-not-burn tobacco products, which according to a Public Health England review are at least 95-percent less harmful to humans than combustible tobacco,” added Dator.
