PRESIDENT Duterte’s issuance of Executive Order (EO) No. 106 prohibiting the manufacture, distribution, marketing, and sale of unregistered and/or adulterated electronic cigarettes and other related products is most welcome.
The EO requires all electronic nicotine/non-nicotine delivery systems (ENDS/ENNDS), heated tobacco products (HTPs), and other novel tobacco products to be registered with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It bans the use, sale, or purchase of such products by a person below 21, as well as vaping in public other than in designated smoking/vaping areas (DSVAs), among other prohibited acts.
It is commendable that the President has remained true to his promise to put a prime value on the health of Filipinos and to protect their welfare over and above the vested commercial interest of the e-cigarette industry. His recognizing the FDA as lead agency to regulate e-cigarettes is also laudable. He has the wisdom to ensure that e-cigarettes be regulated by the appropriate government agency that has the mandate and the capacity to do so. FDA has the proper knowledge and expertise to determine the safety of ENDS/ENNDS and HTPs.
This latest public health policy will help in protecting users and the general public from the dangers of consuming e-cigarettes, particularly the nicotine content in the e-liquids that is often not sufficiently disclosed on product labeling. Even though nicotine is known to be acutely toxic, we find e-liquids poorly labeled in terms of providing safety information that is required for harmful mixtures, including risk-related indications, especially if the product is ingested or comes into contact with the skin.
We are also concerned with the inappropriate packaging of some e-liquids that make them attractive to children such as the misleading use of the term “juice”, images of fruits and candy-sounding brand names. A child could be accidentally exposed to such harmful mixtures.
But the EO will only be effective if it is truly enforced. Now, let us see what happens next.
