Hong Kong to Fully Ban E-Cigarettes: Why Only E-Cigarettes?

Hong Kong to Fully Ban E-Cigarettes: Why Only E-Cigarettes? Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam released the second "Policy Address" on Wednesday, October 10, proposing a complete ban on the sale of e-cigarettes. She stated that e-cigarettes and heated tobacco pose significant harm, potentially causing male infertility and cancer. To protect the health of children and adolescents in particular, e-cigarettes should be banned entirely.
Recently, e-cigarettes have been at the center of public opinion. Yesterday, Hong Kong's complete ban on e-cigarettes also topped Weibo's trending topics. On one hand, the role of e-cigarettes in social life is becoming increasingly important, and their exposure is rising. On the other hand, people are becoming more confused and skeptical about e-cigarettes.

According to the Research and Market report "2016-2025 Global E-Cigarette and Vaporizer, Device and Retail Market Analysis and Forecast," in 2017, there were approximately 35 million e-cigarette consumers worldwide, with total sales of about $12 billion, indicating huge market potential. Among various tobacco products, e-cigarette sales have surpassed traditional cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, becoming the fourth largest category in sales after cigarettes, loose tobacco, and cigars, roughly equivalent to the 11th largest cigarette market globally.
The iQOS e-cigarette, officially launched by Philip Morris International (PMI), can be considered the leading player in this field, with shipments of iQOS HeatSticks reaching an astonishing 36.2 billion in 2017, and users growing from 1.4 million in 2016 to 4.7 million in 2017.

In 2017, China's e-cigarette production reached 1.651 billion units, a year-on-year increase of 37%, accounting for about 95% of the global e-cigarette market. Currently, most domestic e-cigarette manufacturers operate under OEM and ODM models, with 90% of their products exported, resulting in a global industrial chain pattern where manufacturing is centered in China and demand is centered in Europe and America.

Yesterday, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam stated that e-cigarettes and heated tobacco pose significant harm, potentially causing male infertility and cancer. To protect the health of children and adolescents in particular, e-cigarettes should be banned entirely. In response, I have only one question: why is it only e-cigarettes that are banned? Don't cigarettes cause cancer? Don't they harm the health of children and adolescents? In response to this absurd and discriminatory policy, I express extreme understanding; after all, it boils down to money. E-cigarettes lead to a reduction in tobacco tax revenue, prolong the lifespan of smokers, and increase pension costs.