National Assembly delegates from Nghe An province propose to soon amend the law to prevent and combat the harmful effects of electronic cigarettes.
On the morning of May 30, continuing the working program of the 7th Session, the National Assembly held discussions in the hall under the chairmanship of comrade Tran Thanh Man - Politburo member, Chairman of the National Assembly.
LEGAL GAPS IN MANAGEMENT OF ELECTRONIC CIGARETTES AND HEATING TOBACCO
The National Assembly discussed the draft National Assembly Supervision Program for 2025 under the direction of Party Central Committee member and National Assembly Vice Chairman Tran Quang Phuong and the draft Law and Ordinance Development Program for 2025, adjusting the Law and Ordinance Development Program for 2024 under the direction of Party Central Committee member and National Assembly Vice Chairman Nguyen Khac Dinh.
Discussing in the hall about the expected Law and Ordinance Building Program in 2025, adjusting the Law and Ordinance Building Program in 2024, through studying the Report of the National Assembly Standing Committee, as well as the practice of law-making work, delegate Thai Thi An Chung - Member of the Provincial Party Executive Committee, Deputy Head of the National Assembly Delegation of Nghe An province expressed basic agreement with the assessment of the National Assembly Standing Committee on the implementation of the Law and Ordinance Building Program in 2023 and the expected Law and Ordinance Building Program in 2025, as well as adjusting the Law and Ordinance Building Program in 2024; at the same time, proposed to soon add to the Law Program the Amendment and Supplement of a number of articles of the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms.
The delegate from Nghe An said that 1 year ago, at the 5th Session when discussing the 2024 Law and Ordinance Development Program and adjusting the 2023 Law and Ordinance Development Program, together with a number of National Assembly deputies, she spoke before the National Assembly about the current situation and the harmful effects of the use of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products among young people and recommended that the National Assembly include in the 2024 Law and Ordinance Development Program the Law on Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms, to control and limit the use of e-cigarettes and new generation cigarettes.
After that, the National Assembly Standing Committee requested the Government to direct the study of the National Assembly deputies' recommendations to have appropriate management solutions; in case of needing to amend the law, urgently prepare a dossier to propose the drafting of a law to submit to the National Assembly Standing Committee for consideration and decision to add it to the program.
Recently, the Social Committee of the National Assembly coordinated with the Culture and Education Committee of the National Assembly to organize a session to explain the responsibility of state management in preventing and combating the harmful effects of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products to identify the harmful effects and assess the current situation of buying, selling, using, as well as state management in preventing and combating the harmful effects of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.
“The explanation session showed that paradoxically, the rate of e-cigarette and heated tobacco use in Vietnam is increasing, especially among young people. According to the Ministry of Health's report, the rate of e-cigarette use among students in 2023, the age group from 13 to 17, increased from 2.6% (2019) to 8.1% and in the age group from 13 to 15, it increased from 3.5% (2022) to 8%,” delegate Thai Thi An Chung cited the data and expressed concern that our policy response is very slow.
Citing the opinion of the Ministry of Health that the current difficulties and problems are due to the fact that the 2012 Law on Tobacco Harm Prevention and Control has not yet regulated new tobacco products that have appeared after the Law was promulgated, so there is a lack of a legal mechanism to identify and manage them. Delegate Thai Thi An Chung was concerned that in the draft Program for law and ordinance development in 2025, adjusting the Program for law and ordinance development in 2024, there is still a lack of a draft Law on Amending and Supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Tobacco Harm Prevention and Control.
PROPOSAL TO EARLY AMEND AND SUPPLEMENT THE LAW ON PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF TOBACCO HARMS
Tomorrow (May 31), the World Health Organization marks World No Tobacco Day and this year’s theme is “Protecting children from the effects of the tobacco industry”. In Vietnam, this week is also the National No Tobacco Week, with many communication activities and rallies taking place in various sectors and localities.
“For the future of the young generation, I hope the Government and the Ministry of Health will soon add to the 2025 Law and Ordinance Development Program the draft Law on Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms and can apply the review and approval process at one session,” said delegate Thai Thi An Chung.
Through this, the delegate also proposed to study and change the way of law making to be able to respond promptly to newly arising problems and laws that have not been adjusted in time.
“It is not necessary to wait for a preliminary and final review to make comprehensive amendments. This is also the experience of law-making that many countries in the world have applied,” said the Deputy Head of the National Assembly Delegation of Nghe An province; at the same time, he expressed his agreement with the opinions of the National Assembly Deputies who had previously proposed to soon build the Population Law and the Red Cross Law.
