Friday, March 29, 2024

Vaping advocates back Senate bill regulating e-cigarettes

Advocates of vaping as an effective means for adults to quit combustible cigarettes, as well as those pushing for the non-sale of the product to minors, is backing Senate Bill 2239 or the Vaporized Nicotine Products Regulation Act sponsored by Sen. Ralph Recto.

Recto has endorsed the plenary approval of the bill, which empowers the government to regulate the importation, manufacture, sale, packaging, distribution, use and consumption of vapor and heated tobacco products.

In addition, the proposed bill also compels the government to enact a balanced policy towards the proper regulation of vaping products, using internationally accepted product standards. This, in order to protect citizens from the hazards of unregulated and substandard vapor and heated tobacco products being sold.

In endorsing Senate Bill 2239, Recto emphasized what he believed are the fundamental truths about smoking — it being bad, harmful, dangerous — while also acknowledging that vapor products are a good alternative in kicking the habit of smoking.

He then went on to enumerate the bill’s provisions. These include protecting the youth by restricting purchase to that of a minimum age of 18 years old, the same minimum age for tobacco smokers as stated in the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003. Specifically, under the bill, vapor products are not allowed to be sold to minors.

It sources additional revenues for the government in the form of taxes, which is a boon during the present difficult economic situation brought about by the pandemic. It pushes manufacturers of vapor products to adhere to approved international safety standards, which in turn helps protect consumers from unlicensed and shoddy manufacturing. This protection for consumers in turn also empowers the authorities to carry out enforcement action on manufacturers that do not comply with the regulations.

Proponents of vaping say that Senate Bill 2239 is most welcome and that its passage should be ensured.

For one, it satisfies the clamor of those who correctly call for preventing the sale of vapor products to minors, as it directs retailers to first verify the age of buyers by presenting an ID during transaction, and similarly bans the sale of vapor products within 100 meters from any point of the perimeter of a school, playground, or other facilities minors visit.

Secondly, it is favorable to the government as it mandates the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to issue revenue regulations prescribing appropriate taxes on vapor products. The timing of this bill cannot be overstated as the country will benefit from the additional source of revenue as a means of aid to the recovering economy, as well as provide business certainty to the great number of local businesses in the nascent vape industry, its backers said.

The vaping industry has asked manufacturers and importers to submit to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) information demonstrating compliance with products standards and assessment requirements in accordance with the act.

With this, they said the market can get rid of vape brands of dubious origin and from fly-by-night retailers, not to mention unlabeled vape juices containing unknown chemical ingredients that are potentially harmful to users.

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