Can a Crackdown on E-Cigarettes Become a Global Consensus?

On September 4, Michigan, USA, announced a ban on the sale of flavored e-cigarettes. On September 11, the White House announced it would issue a sales ban on flavored e-cigarettes.

On September 15, the Governor of New York announced that New York State would take economic administrative measures to prohibit flavored e-cigarettes statewide.

On September 18, Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that a ban would be imposed on the production, manufacturing, import, export, transportation, sale, storage, and advertising of e-cigarettes in India. Those who violate this ban could face up to three years in prison and fines of about $7,000.

Compared to the bans, some businesses and merchants have already sensed the coming harsh winter, realizing that e-cigarettes pose risks not only to consumers but also to themselves, sensing the storm brewing against e-cigarettes.

On September 20, Walmart, a major American supermarket chain, announced that it would stop selling e-cigarettes in its stores across the United States, a decision that applies to all Walmart supermarkets and Sam's Club stores. Meanwhile, the most powerful e-cigarette manufacturer in the world, Juul, had just launched its products on Tmall and JD.com, but within a week, both flagship stores on these e-commerce platforms were closed.

Although there are still third-party platforms selling Juul-related products, the flagship stores of Juul have disappeared.

The crackdown on e-cigarettes is becoming a global consensus. Despite the many scientific uncertainties regarding the harm of e-cigarettes, such as what specific harms they cause, to what extent, and whether they threaten life, there is already a substantial amount of scientific evidence supporting the conclusion that e-cigarettes are harmful to health and even life-threatening, which has been widely recognized and accepted by governments and the public worldwide.

This recognition mainly stems from the historical and current harm of tobacco products to human health and life. Since the U.S. began anti-smoking efforts in 1964, over 8 million American quitters have extended their lives by about 19.6 years each. Although businesses claim that e-cigarettes are less harmful than traditional tobacco, e-cigarettes have been proven to be more broadly harmful than traditional tobacco because they contain more substances, such as flavorings, and have different methods of use, all of which can cause more harm to people.

However, the most significant harm that e-cigarettes can confirm to date is their role in enticing young people to smoke, acting as a difficult-to-detect "accomplice."

Due to the low barrier to entry and appealing flavors, young people are easily tempted to try them, leading to addiction and eventually turning to more stimulating traditional tobacco products that better satisfy their needs. Today, the number of young e-cigarette users in the U.S. is increasing. In 2017, about 3.6 million middle school students in the U.S. used e-cigarettes, but by 2018, that number surged to 4.9 million.

The discovery of tobacco and the invention of cigarettes are among humanity's worst inventions, and e-cigarettes are no exception. E-cigarette manufacturers have substantial financial resources and hope to use significant profits as ammunition to counter the crackdown on e-cigarettes. For example, Juul stated in a statement that it looks forward to continuing dialogue with relevant parties in China to get its products back on the shelves and find a path to profit in a country with over 300 million smokers.

However, it should be noted that e-cigarettes generate unjust profits, and thus cannot withstand the principles of justice and global consensus that protect health and life.

Even U.S. President Trump, who usually prioritizes economic interests, has not hesitated to take action against e-cigarettes, urging public health departments to ban them. The global crackdown on e-cigarettes is once again raising a banner in the era of ecological civilization, advocating for technology and products that benefit humanity. We can no longer produce and sell products that sacrifice human health and life for profit, nor can we profit from such products.