Ban e-cigarettes and other new tobacco products, Hong Kong parents say in survey
- Survey of parents of kindergarten- and school-age children found three-quarters want new products outlawed
- Former smokers say e-cigarettes should not be viewed as a less harmful alternative to smoking
Three-quarters of more than 9,000 parents polled in a survey want a complete ban on e-cigarettes and other new tobacco products, saying a plan to choke only their supply, sale and promotion – but allow consumption – did not go far enough.
The Committee on Home-School Co-operation and Federations of Parent-Teacher Associations, which released the survey results on Sunday, distributed questionnaires to parents of children in more than 100 kindergartens and primary and secondary schools on the issue last month.
Seventy-five per cent of the 9,083 parents – both smokers and non-smokers – called for the complete ban on electronic cigarettes as well as other new tobacco alternatives such as heat-not-burn products and herbal cigarettes.
Supporters included 56 per cent of the 1,362 smoking parents.
The findings also showed that 76 per cent of all respondents and 62 per cent of smoking parents believed a complete ban would deter teenagers from taking up smoking.
Cheng Wai-cheong, a father of two and a smoker of 20 years until he quit two years ago, said a full ban was needed as the marketing of the new tobacco products was misleading.
“These new products shouldn’t be packaged as smoking cessation methods because users will believe that it’s better for them and start to smoke more of them, which in turn will end up being an alternative rather than a way to help them quit,” he said.
Hong Kong pushes ahead with blanket ban on e-cigarettes
Cheng said he learned the hard way when he was trying to quit in 2014.
“This is for the sake of our children’s future. I quit so I would have a healthy body to care for my family and the best way is really to cut down progressively,” he said.
In February, a bill to amend the Smoking Ordinance targeting new tobacco products was submitted to the Legislative Council to cover anyone who imports, makes, sells, distributes or promotes alternative smoking products. Consumption would not be banned.
But the researchers want the public to completely kick the habit of vaping.
One of the researchers said the government proposal could mislead young people into believing e-cigarettes or new smoking products are less harmful when in fact they are not.
Vaping is not a gateway to smoking but health risks are real, research says
“Some people have said that a ban will rob traditional smokers of an alternative, but traditional or new tobacco products are both harmful and we don’t want our children to have that choice,” Henry Tong Sau-chai, the chairman of the committee on home-school cooperation, said.
“I can’t say there’s a loophole in the current ordinance but it’s certainly not the most comprehensive legislation because the use of e-cigarettes is not banned and it sends a message to youngsters that as long as I don’t get caught smoking and buying it then it’s OK.”
The groups want officials and lawmakers to look into the harmful aspects of smoking and push for a full ban on new smoking products and eventually move onto imposing similar regulations for traditional cigarettes.
Ban e-cigarettes, Hong Kong medical experts say
Tobacco giant Philip Morris also weighed in on the debate.
The US company, whose cigarette brands include Marlboro, said in a statement issued on Sunday that, while it understood the concerns, proper regulations and enforcement would ensure that alternative products are accessible only to adult smokers.
“Concerns about youth adoption of nicotine products are best addressed through education and thoughtful regulation. If the government can do this for cigarettes and alcohol, surely they can do the same for emerging alternatives to smoking,” the statement read.
