Time Weekly: China has 7.4 million vape users, regulation should come soon

As the dangers of tobacco addiction have become widely recognized, e-cigarettes have become a new favorite among both long-time smokers and young people.

A report titled "Regulatory Status of the E-Cigarette Industry (2019)" completed by Tsinghua University's Public Health and Technology Regulation Research Group shows that the number of e-cigarette consumers in China reached 7.4 million in 2017, with an annual growth rate exceeding double digits.

Following the initial product incubation, the most sensitive capital in the market quickly took action. The capital chase has accelerated the formation of this trend, and according to incomplete statistics, there are currently thousands of e-cigarette companies in China, with new competitors joining almost daily. The stock market has formed an e-cigarette concept sector, and the valuation of some leading e-cigarette companies has exceeded $2 billion.

However, this has led to chaos in the e-cigarette market. Firstly, there is a proliferation of concepts and inconsistent terminology. Unlike traditional tobacco advertising, e-cigarette advertising and promotional materials are largely unregulated, with various terms flooding advertising platforms, significantly influencing consumer purchasing decisions. Secondly, there are no industry standards for e-cigarettes, and the content and materials of various components lack regulation. For example, the nicotine content in e-liquids is often not labeled correctly, with some exceeding safe limits, and even banned substances like formaldehyde, propylene glycol, and glycerin can be detected in the vapor produced.

In fact, the harms and addictive nature of e-cigarettes are not less than those of traditional tobacco. On September 11, foreign media reported that the Kansas Department of Health announced the first death related to e-cigarette disease in the state, marking the sixth case in the U.S. The CDC stated that since May and June, the number of lung diseases related to e-cigarettes has surged, with approximately 450 related cases reported across 33 states.

At the same time, e-cigarette liquids contain a certain amount of nicotine, which is well known to be a key addictive component of tobacco. However, in China, the attributes of e-cigarettes have not yet been clearly defined. In relevant laws and regulations, there are no provisions explicitly stating that "e-cigarettes" fall under tobacco, and the classification of tobacco in industry standards has not included "e-cigarettes."

As a result, relevant social figures are calling for the rapid establishment of industry standards for e-cigarettes and improved government regulation. At the end of July, the head of the National Health Commission stated that they plan to regulate e-cigarettes through legislation.

However, I believe that given the actual characteristics of e-cigarettes, they should be prioritized and quickly classified as addictive tobacco products. This would align with the actual situation of the e-cigarette market and allow for rapid improvement of regulations to prevent a regulatory gap.

The classification of e-cigarettes in various countries can serve as a reference. Data shows that countries like Brunei, South Korea, Lithuania, Malta, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam define e-cigarettes as tobacco products, while Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, and the UK classify them as medicinal products. In contrast, Bulgaria, Italy, India, the Netherlands, and Russia classify them as ordinary consumer goods. Overall, most countries classify e-cigarettes as strictly regulated tobacco products or pharmaceuticals.

On the other hand, classifying e-cigarettes as tobacco products would directly impact the control of smoking populations and improve national health levels. On May 31, the China CDC released a national smoking control survey report, which showed that the total number of smokers in China has decreased for the first time! Notably, the statistical count of smokers does not include the growing number of e-cigarette users.

Undoubtedly, if e-cigarettes are defined as tobacco products or quasi-tobacco products, they can immediately be included in the currently more comprehensive tobacco regulatory policies, further limiting their impact on young people in terms of advertising, sales, and other aspects, preventing the expansion of the smoking population and tobacco-related harms.