Prime Minister of Vietnam requests strict management of electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products

Hello, Lawnet would like to respond as follows:

On May 13, 2024, the Prime Minister of Vietnam issued Official Telegram 47/ND-TTg 2024 to strengthen the management of electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco.

1. The Prime Minister of Vietnam requests to strengthen the management of electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco

In recent years, the Government of Vietnam and the Prime Minister of Vietnam have issued several directives on activities to prevent and combat the harmful effects of tobacco. Ministries, central authorities, and local authorities have actively implemented activities as directed by the Government of Vietnam and the Prime Minister of Vietnam. The efforts to prevent and combat the harmful effects of tobacco have initially achieved encouraging results, with the prevalence of conventional cigarette use decreasing by an average of 0.5% annually among males.

However, recently the market has seen the emergence of electronic cigarette and heated tobacco products, and the use of these products has become complicated, showing a rapid increase in usage in the community, especially among young people, negatively impacting the health of users.

In Official Telegram 47/ND-TTg 2024, to enhance control and promptly prevent the harmful effects of the use of electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco, the Prime Minister of Vietnam requests the following:

- Ministry of Health:

+ Inform, educate, and communicate about the harmful effects of electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco to units, organizations, and individuals within the scope of management;

+ Research and propose to promulgate according to their authority or submit to the competent authority to promulgate regulations on the management of electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco.

- Ministry of Finance: Direct the Customs forces to strictly inspect and control the transportation of smuggled electronic and heated tobacco through border gates, controlled areas of Customs, and establish special cases to combat smuggling rings and groups dealing in smuggled electronic and heated tobacco.

- Ministry of National Defense: Direct the border guard forces to strengthen patrols and controls in border areas, trails, and openings to promptly detect and handle individuals involved in the smuggling, storage, and transportation of smuggled electronic and heated tobacco.

- Ministry of Public Security:

Direct the police forces at all levels to enhance investigation, understand the situation, establish special cases, focus on combatting, and dismantling smuggling rings, groups, primary dealers, and individuals who mix prohibited substances into electronic cigarette solutions for prosecution under the law.

- Ministry of Industry and Trade:

Direct market management forces to enhance the management of the domestic market, regularly inspect and strictly handle organizations and individuals involved in the sale, storage, and transportation of smuggled electronic and heated tobacco.

- Ministry of Information and Communications, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and Training, Vietnam Television, Voice of Vietnam, Vietnam News Agency, and People’s Committees of provinces and cities under central authority: Direct press agencies to communicate and propagate the harmful effects of electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco.

- National Steering Committee on Combatting Smuggling, Commercial Fraud, and Counterfeit Goods (National 389 Steering Committee): Directly instruct the Steering Committees 389 of ministries, sectors, and localities to monitor, urge, and inspect the functional forces in implementing the Official Telegram of the Prime Minister of Vietnam.

- People’s Committees of provinces and cities under central authority: Direct the authorities at all levels and functional forces in the area:

+ Regularly inspect, supervise, handle violations, strictly handle acts of smuggling, transporting, storing, and selling electronic and heated tobacco not yet permitted for business and use in the Vietnamese market;

+ Enhance information, education, and communication about the harmful effects of electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco to the populace.

2. Six policies of the State of Vietnam on preventing and combating the harmful effects of tobacco

According to Article 4 of the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harm 2012, the State's policies on preventing and combating the harmful effects of tobacco include:

(1) Socialize resources to implement the work of preventing and combating the harmful effects of tobacco.

(2) Apply appropriate tax policies to reduce the rate of tobacco use.

(3) Tobacco production and business activities must align with the goal of gradually reducing the supply of tobacco, compatible with the reduction in the demand for tobacco use.

(4) Encourage and facilitate domestic and foreign agencies, organizations, and individuals to participate in providing counseling and tobacco cessation services; research the harmful effects of tobacco, and methods of tobacco cessation; research and produce tobacco cessation aids; collaborate, sponsor tobacco harm prevention and control activities; and voluntary tobacco cessation by tobacco users.

(5) Encourage and facilitate organizations and individuals involved in tobacco planting, tobacco production, and tobacco raw material processing to transition to alternative sectors and professions.

(6) Reward agencies, organizations, and individuals with achievements in preventing and combating the harmful effects of tobacco.

Thus, the state has six main policies on preventing and combating the harmful effects of tobacco: (1) Socializing resources; (2) Applying appropriate tax policies to reduce tobacco use; (3) Aligning tobacco production and business activities with the goal of reducing supply and demand for tobacco; (4) Encouraging participation in providing tobacco cessation services and research into the harmful effects of tobacco; (5) Encouraging occupational transitions for those involved in tobacco planting and production; and (6) Rewarding achievements in preventing and combating the harmful effects of tobacco.

Sincerely!

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