ADVOCATES of vaping say the consolidated House Bill 9007 and Senate Bill 2239 or the Vaporized Nicotine Products Regulation Bill strikes “a good balance between protecting minors and giving adult smokers a chance to leave their deadly habit behind.”
What they seek to obfuscate is the fact that the Vape Bill essentially relaxes regulations on the sale, distribution, use, and promotion of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) or e-cigarettes, and vaporized nicotine products (VNPs), tilting the balance towards the profit-seeking tobacco industry at the expense of minors.
One vaping lobbyist says the Vape Bill “strengthens the provisions of Republic Act 11467, which imposes taxes on vapes and heated tobacco products, and Executive Order 106 issued by President Rodrigo Duterte that prohibits unregistered or tampered vapes and heated tobacco products.”
But that is toeing the line of the tobacco industry of viewing the matter at hand primarily as an industry regulation issue, and not as a health issue, thereby obfuscating the voluminous expert opinion that runs counter to the Vape Bill.
Vape regulation primarily a health issue. If we return to looking at the Vape Bill as a health issue, we will see that it doesn’t strike any balance at all, contrary to what certain lawmakers surmise. Case in point: the consolidated bill lowers the minimum age of access to e-cigarettes from age 21 to 18, setting aside the proposal of several health experts to maintain 21 years old, which is the existing age restriction based on Republic Act 11467.
Despite putting several restrictions on flavor descriptors for ENDS and VNPs, the consolidated bill gives a free pass to producers to use addictive flavors that attract use among the younger generation, and even allows the online sale of e-cigarettes.
The World Health Organization and Department of Health have both repeatedly cautioned the public regarding the harmful chemicals in ENDs and VNPs such as nicotine, ultra-fine particles, carcinogens, heavy metals, and volatile organic compounds. Results generated from peer-reviewed studies show that e-cigarette juices contain high levels of addictive nicotine, which can result in acute or even fatal poisoning through ingestion and other means.
There is still hope. The Vape Bill is not yet law. The President is being urged to let the welfare of children weigh heavier than the influence of big tobacco. Let us not wait until reports of its detrimental effects on children and the youth proliferate. Before the use of e-cigarettes become a full-blown public crisis, may this pressing public health issue sound the alarms and compel the President to act decisively, despite the euphemisms being peddled around.
