Are e-cigarettes really cigarettes?
Are e-cigarettes really cigarettes? This has long been a subject of debate. Although they are called cigarettes, e-cigarettes are actually vapor products. Because different vaping devices use different vaporization principles and materials, they come in m
Are e-cigarettes really cigarettes? This has long been a matter of debate. Although they are called “cigarettes,” e-cigarettes are actually vapor products. Because different products use different vaporization principles and materials, e-cigarettes come in many different types. A recent aviation safety incident, in which a co-pilot on an Air China flight made an operational error after using an e-cigarette, pushed the issue back into the spotlight. More recently, a dispute broke out on Beijing Subway Line 10 after a passenger used an e-cigarette and argued with someone who tried to stop them, once again sparking debate over whether e-cigarettes should be allowed in public places. After the subway incident, the Beijing Tobacco Control Association clearly stated that the currently popular e-cigarettes also release harmful secondhand aerosol, should be banned in public places, and should be brought under tobacco control regulations.
The World Health Organization had already made it clear that e-cigarettes are harmful to public health. Although they are wrapped in a seemingly harmless image, marketed under the banner of high technology, and have even given rise to a trendy vapor culture, their essential nature as smoking products and their harmful components have not changed. In short, e-cigarettes are also cigarettes: they are harmful to people just the same, and they are certainly not the “smoking cessation transition” tool that some merchants claim. Regulation must be strengthened, especially to prevent harm to minors and non-smokers.
In China, regulation of e-cigarettes remains largely blank, and the legal nature of e-cigarette products has yet to be clearly defined. E-cigarettes contain nicotine, but according to the relevant definitions in the Tobacco Monopoly Law, they are not tobacco monopoly products. Some e-cigarettes claim to help people quit smoking, yet they are not classified as medicines, health products, or medical devices either. It can be said that most e-cigarettes are in a “three-no” state: no product standards, no quality supervision, and no safety evaluation. If there is no clear understanding of what e-cigarettes are, then legislative regulation has no foundation to stand on. This regulatory gap should obviously be filled as a priority.
At the same time, there are many misunderstandings about e-cigarettes, and many sellers are eager to promote them under slogans such as “a transition to quitting smoking” or “harmless e-cigarettes.” If these misconceptions are not corrected, then bringing e-cigarettes into the scope of tobacco control will inevitably encounter many visible and invisible obstacles. Because of these misunderstandings, users may even feel they are innocent, or believe that consuming e-cigarettes reflects social responsibility and public morality, while those who stop them are simply making trouble for no reason, which greatly increases the difficulty of tobacco control work. Therefore, public education about the nature of e-cigarettes and whether they are harmful to health should also begin as soon as possible.
Since ample evidence has already shown that e-cigarettes are a new type of tobacco product and that using e-cigarettes is likewise harmful to health, possibly even more harmful, legislation should be introduced as soon as possible to clarify their legal status and strengthen control over them. Including e-cigarettes within smoking bans should become a consensus. It is worth noting that many places have already begun exploring how to bring them under regulation. On April 27, 2018, the 11th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 13th Hangzhou Municipal People’s Congress reviewed the Decision (Draft) on Revising the Hangzhou Regulations on Smoking Control in Public Places, in which Article 26 explicitly included inhaling and exhaling harmful e-cigarette aerosol within the definition of “smoking.” The Health Services Panel of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council also recently passed a motion calling for “the swift and full ban on the sale of e-cigarettes and other alternative tobacco products.” Against this backdrop, nationwide regulations for the management of e-cigarettes should also be placed on the agenda as soon as possible.
The World Health Organization had already made it clear that e-cigarettes are harmful to public health. Although they are wrapped in a seemingly harmless image, marketed under the banner of high technology, and have even given rise to a trendy vapor culture, their essential nature as smoking products and their harmful components have not changed. In short, e-cigarettes are also cigarettes: they are harmful to people just the same, and they are certainly not the “smoking cessation transition” tool that some merchants claim. Regulation must be strengthened, especially to prevent harm to minors and non-smokers.
In China, regulation of e-cigarettes remains largely blank, and the legal nature of e-cigarette products has yet to be clearly defined. E-cigarettes contain nicotine, but according to the relevant definitions in the Tobacco Monopoly Law, they are not tobacco monopoly products. Some e-cigarettes claim to help people quit smoking, yet they are not classified as medicines, health products, or medical devices either. It can be said that most e-cigarettes are in a “three-no” state: no product standards, no quality supervision, and no safety evaluation. If there is no clear understanding of what e-cigarettes are, then legislative regulation has no foundation to stand on. This regulatory gap should obviously be filled as a priority.At the same time, there are many misunderstandings about e-cigarettes, and many sellers are eager to promote them under slogans such as “a transition to quitting smoking” or “harmless e-cigarettes.” If these misconceptions are not corrected, then bringing e-cigarettes into the scope of tobacco control will inevitably encounter many visible and invisible obstacles. Because of these misunderstandings, users may even feel they are innocent, or believe that consuming e-cigarettes reflects social responsibility and public morality, while those who stop them are simply making trouble for no reason, which greatly increases the difficulty of tobacco control work. Therefore, public education about the nature of e-cigarettes and whether they are harmful to health should also begin as soon as possible.
Since ample evidence has already shown that e-cigarettes are a new type of tobacco product and that using e-cigarettes is likewise harmful to health, possibly even more harmful, legislation should be introduced as soon as possible to clarify their legal status and strengthen control over them. Including e-cigarettes within smoking bans should become a consensus. It is worth noting that many places have already begun exploring how to bring them under regulation. On April 27, 2018, the 11th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 13th Hangzhou Municipal People’s Congress reviewed the Decision (Draft) on Revising the Hangzhou Regulations on Smoking Control in Public Places, in which Article 26 explicitly included inhaling and exhaling harmful e-cigarette aerosol within the definition of “smoking.” The Health Services Panel of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council also recently passed a motion calling for “the swift and full ban on the sale of e-cigarettes and other alternative tobacco products.” Against this backdrop, nationwide regulations for the management of e-cigarettes should also be placed on the agenda as soon as possible.
