Letters | Instead of banning e-cigarettes, Hong Kong should ensure only adults can buy them

  • While youth smoking is a concern, its prevalence has been steadily declining. Meanwhile, e-cigarettes offer existing cigarette smokers a less harmful option

A bill to amend the Smoking Ordinance proposes to subject anyone who brings in, imports, makes, sells, distributes or promotes new smoking products in Hong Kong– including e-cigarettes, heat-not-burn products and herbal cigarettes – to a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a fine of HK$50,000 if convicted. The first reading is on February 20. Photo: Nora Tam
As the government moves ahead with its proposal to ban new alternatives to smoking cigarettes, such as heated tobacco products, it may be helpful to pause and look at the bigger picture in Hong Kong.

Despite increasing prevention and cessation efforts worldwide, there is still consumer demand for cigarettes. The World Health Organisation forecasts that there will still be more than 1 billion people who smoke cigarettes in 2025, as there are today.

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