A leader of the House of Representatives has stressed the importance of the proposed Vaporized Nicotine Product (VNP) or vape bill to provide adult smokers with less harmful alternatives while preventing minors from using such products.
“There’s no law yet that imposes stricter regulations on the importation, manufacturing, selling and advertising of vaporized nicotine and non-nicotine products. This is where the vape bill comes in. It spells out the regulation and penalties, including imprisonment for violators, to ensure that only adult smokers can get their hands on these less harmful alternatives,” Deputy Speaker Wes Gatchalian said in a statement.
He added that the vape bill, which has been approved by the Senate and the House of Representatives, is in line with the tobacco harm reduction approach — a strategy which aims to reduce the harms caused by and from smoking.
Once enacted into law, the vape bill will regulate smoke-free alternatives to cigarettes, such as the use of vapes and heated tobacco products (HTPs).
The Philippines is among the countries that continue to register high smoking prevalence despite the various prohibitive approaches adopted by the government. More than 16 million Filipinos continue to smoke, according to the 2015 Global Adult Tobacco Survey. About 77 percent of smokers have planned or thought of quitting but only 4 actually did, leaving most smokers exposed to the harmful effects of cigarettes.
Gatchalian said the bill was crafted to give adult smokers an opportunity to use less harmful alternatives, while stopping the access of minors to nicotine products. “We made sure that we strike a good balance between protecting minors and giving adult smokers a chance to leave their deadly habit behind when we crafted the vape bill,” he said.
He said the measure also strengthens the provisions of Republic Act 11467, which imposes taxes on vapes and heated tobacco products, and Executive Order 106 issued by President Duterte that prohibits the sale and use of unregistered or tampered vapes and heated tobacco products.
Gatchalian also stressed that lawmakers carefully studied the bill before approving it, noting that it took two years for the 18th Congress to finally approve the measure.
“The House (of Representatives) conducted seven technical working group hearings and three public consultations attended by medical experts and representatives of groups who are against as well as those who see the benefits of regulating science-backed innovative alternatives to address the smoking problem in the country,” he said.
Gatchalian also pointed out that the final version of the bill, following the approval by a bicameral conference committee, dedicated two-thirds of the provisions for the protection of minors, including age verification for online sales, prohibition of sales and promotion of vapes and HTPS within 100 meters from school perimeters, ban on product communications and promotions that appeal to minors, ban on the use of influencers and celebrities as product endorsers, and ban on participation of minors in vape industry events.
The bill also gives the Food and Drug administration the authority to assess and approve products with medicinal, therapeutic, and reduced risk claims, while the Department of Trade and Industry was mandated to issue product safety standards.
