Groups to gov’t: E-cigarette a harm reduction tool

Government agencies involved in formulating policies on vaping should take note of a report urging the United Kingdom to relax regulations on e-cigarettes to reduce the harm associated with tobacco use and help more people quit smoking, local vaping groups said Friday.

Peter Paul Dator, president of Vapers Philippines, said the report by the UK Parliament is an objective study on vape pens, electronic cigarettes and electronic nicotine delivery systems.

“E-cigarettes are helping many people in the UK quit smoking. The government should seriously consider the UK tobacco control model in order to reduce the harm caused by conventional cigarettes to Filipino smokers,” Dator said.

Joey Dulay, president of the Philippine E-Cigarette Industry Association (PECIA), said the Philippines “will remain a backwater country in the area of tobacco harm reduction if the Department of Health continues its ill-informed and myopic position on e-cigarettes.”

Published recently by the House of Commons science and technology committee, the report concluded that e-cigarettes should not be treated in the same way as conventional cigarettes, noting that e-cigarettes are 95 percent less harmful than conventional cigarettes.

In its Tobacco Control Plan 20172022, the UK government stated its intention to support consumers in stopping smoking and adopting the use of less harmful nicotine products, particularly e-cigarettes.

According to the report, around 2.9 million people in the UK are currently using e-cigarettes, with an estimated 470,000 using e-cigarettes as a tool to stop smoking and tens of thousands successfully quitting smoking each year. –