WHO Expert Makes 2 Recommendations for Vietnam to Control E-Cigarettes
World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in Vietnam Dr. Angela Pratt has made two recommendations for Vietnam to control e-cigarettes, aiming to help the country achieve the goals of its Health Program and its international commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals.
New nicotine and tobacco products are highly detrimental to health and the introduction of these products to young people makes them susceptible to addiction and poses a significant risk to their health and development, Dr. Pratt pointed out.
Only a complete ban on these products can effectively protect young people in Vietnam from their harmful effects, the WHO expert believed, urging Vietnamese policymakers and legislators to enact a full ban on these products as soon as possible.
Moreover, tobacco in Vietnam is extremely cheap due to low taxes, meaning that prices do not deter young people from starting to smoke and do not encourage current smokers to quit, Dr. Pratt added.
She emphasized that the WHO also calls on local policymakers to take this year as an opportunity to significantly increase tobacco taxes to help “immunize” Vietnamese youth against the lifelong harms of tobacco use.