If Cigarettes Were Banned, Would You Choose Vaping?

If cigarettes were banned, would you choose vaping? Starting in March, Shenzhen implemented what is called the "strictest" smoking control regulations, with fines accompanying "smoking clouds." This has left many "old smokers" in a dilemma. The emergence of e-cigarettes seems to offer new hope for smokers. However, a recent statement from the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease indicates that e-cigarettes are not harmless, their safety has not been scientifically proven, and they also emit carcinogens indoors.

Over 90% of e-cigarettes are made in Shenzhen

In recent years, as various smoking control policies have been introduced, e-cigarettes, which claim to be non-toxic and helpful for quitting smoking, have gradually entered people's view. Zeng Fanyu, director of the office of the China Smoking Control Association, explained that e-cigarettes are electronic products that mimic cigarettes, having the same appearance, smoke, taste, and feel as traditional cigarettes. With the spread of anti-smoking movements abroad, e-cigarettes invented in China have rapidly risen in popularity in countries like the US and Europe, with many small e-cigarette companies emerging like mushrooms after rain.

If a few years ago you were still unaware of what e-cigarettes were, now various flavors of e-cigarettes are widely available online, and even some large supermarkets sell them. Zeng Fanyu stated that China is the main production area for e-cigarettes, with over 90% of e-cigarettes on the market produced by companies in Shenzhen. A search online reveals a wide variety of e-cigarettes marked as made in Shenzhen, with flavors ranging from chocolate to fruit, and prices varying greatly, from dozens to thousands of yuan. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, many e-cigarette brands even promoted health, encouraging citizens to gift healthy e-cigarettes.

Citizens have low awareness of e-cigarettes

As the main production area for e-cigarettes, how aware are Shenzhen citizens of e-cigarettes? Journalists visited several shopping malls and found that despite Shenzhen being the main production area for e-cigarettes, few malls were willing to sell them, and the number of citizens aware of e-cigarettes was also low. In a survey of 20 citizens at the Central Book City, only 6 had heard of e-cigarettes, and only 1 had used an e-cigarette gifted by a friend.

Mr. Sun, a resident of Futian District and a long-time smoker, learned last year that his friend had given him an e-cigarette to help him quit smoking. However, after about two months of trying, Mr. Sun ultimately gave up. "E-cigarettes are hard to replace traditional cigarettes and don't help with quitting; they are too troublesome to use," he commented on his experience with e-cigarettes.

Despite the lukewarm response from citizens, e-cigarette companies in the city remain active. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration's e-cigarette industry association held the "CECMOL E-cigarette Summit Forum" in Shenzhen this month. Over 400 participants, including many domestic e-cigarette manufacturers, channel distributors, e-cigarette component suppliers, and industry leaders from the US, France, and Spain attended the forum.

Active enterprises, quiet market. What impact will the growth of Shenzhen's e-cigarette industry have on the city's smoking control? In this regard, Yang Jie, a researcher at the China CDC's Smoking Control Office, stated that most of the e-cigarettes produced in Shenzhen are used for export. Based on international smoking control experiences, cities where e-cigarettes are popular are likely to also have strict smoking control measures. Shenzhen's smoking control measures can effectively reduce the number of smokers in public places to some extent, but whether smokers who no longer smoke traditional cigarettes will turn to e-cigarettes is still uncertain. However, it cannot be ruled out that many smokers who intend to quit but struggle with cravings may use e-cigarettes to satisfy their oral fixation, but currently, the effectiveness of e-cigarettes in helping to quit smoking is not significant.

Experts suggest regulating e-cigarettes as pharmaceuticals

Recently, the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease released a statement regarding e-cigarettes that has drawn considerable attention. The statement indicated that it is still uncertain what potential health risks e-cigarettes may pose to users, and their safety has not been fully scientifically proven. The statement also noted that e-cigarettes cannot eliminate the health impacts of secondhand smoke on non-smokers, as e-cigarettes also emit fine particles, ultrafine particles, nicotine, and carcinogens indoors. The union supports regulating the production, marketing, and sale of e-cigarettes, with the preferred approach being to regulate e-cigarettes as pharmaceuticals.

Since 2013, the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration has shifted from opposing to supporting e-cigarettes, which has raised concerns among some industry insiders. Wu Yiqun, deputy director of the New Exploration Health Research Center, is particularly worried about the negative impact of e-cigarettes on youth. "The proportion of youth who smoke traditional cigarettes after using e-cigarettes is three times higher than those who do not use e-cigarettes," Wu Yiqun stated, noting that current e-cigarette advertisements often promote a fashionable image and feature various flavors, which are highly attractive to young people.

According to the China Smoking Control Association, there are over 300 million smokers in China. Among them, the youth smoking rate is 11.5%, with about 14 million young smokers, and 40 million young people have tried smoking. Last year, a survey of tobacco use among Chinese youth aged 13 to 15, covering 1,020 schools and 158,236 students, showed that 45% of students had heard of e-cigarettes, with boys more aware than girls, and higher grades more aware than lower grades. 1.2% of students had used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days, with 1.8% being boys and 0.5% being girls. Wu Yiqun emphasized that before the safety of e-cigarettes is fully scientifically proven, the government should strengthen regulation to prevent harm to youth health.