The Legislative Council today (21st) resumed the second reading of the Smoking (Public Health) (Amendment) Bill 2019, banning electronic cigarettes and heating cigarettes.
The more controversial bill is that the uniform ban on heating cigarettes and e-cigarettes has caused dissatisfaction among some business legislators.
[18:01] The Legislative Council passed the "Smoking (Public Health) (Amendment) Bill 2019" in the third reading, banning electronic cigarettes and heating cigarettes.
The law prohibits the import, manufacture, sale, distribution and promotion of alternative smoking products. It will take effect 6 months after being gazetted. Violators can be fined up to 50,000 yuan and imprisoned for 6 months.
There were 38 MPs in attendance, with 32 in favor, 3 against, and 2 abstained.
Xie Weijun, Shao Jiahui, and Yi Zhiming voted against, Yao Sirong and Pan Zhaoping abstained from voting, while Zhong Guobin, Wu Yongjia, Huang Dingguang, and He Junyao were absent from voting.
[17:54] The motion passed the second reading with 35 votes in favor and 2 abstentions.
[17:14] Ge Peifan said that if Hong Kong bans products that are harmful to health, it is impossible to justify related scientific research.
She said that she did not hope that Hong Kong would develop and sell new tobacco products in the future.
[17:05] Zhong Guobin believes that banning scientific research companies from importing, researching heating cigarettes, and e-cigarette products is an overkill. He believes that "how many scientific research companies have bought in?" and that there are only a few scientific research companies, as long as there are regulations. Although there are laws prohibiting sales, there is no prohibition on related scientific research.
[16:32] Chen Zhaoshi, director of the Food and Sanitation Bureau, said that the main premise of the government's amendment is how to strengthen health protection and prevent new products from nurturing new smokers.
She said that the proportion of smokers in Hong Kong has been declining in recent decades, but the rise of alternative smoking products poses challenges to smoking bans.
Whether heating smoke is less dangerous than traditional smoke, Chen Zhaoshi said that it is a fallacy. Quoting American research, heating smoke has a higher concentration of harmful components, and there are some harmful components that traditional smoke does not have. Therefore, there is no evidence to support heating smoke being safer. The argument.
She said that different countries have different attitudes towards tobacco, and there is no impact on the tourism industry of their measures.
As for whether it can help quit smoking, Chen Zhaoshi also said that there is no evidence that new smoking methods can help quit smoking, and there are many ways to help quit smoking.
Chen Zhaoshi said that if alternative smoking products are allowed to transit through Hong Kong, they may flow into the black market and even impact the current regulation of traditional cigarettes. It will also render the draft amendments useless.
Chen Zhaoshi said that many countries are planning "tobacco end", that is, the smoking rate will be reduced to 5%. The government will also study the timetable, will launch a number of measures to meet the standards, and will set up more smoking cessation services.
Chen Zhaoshi said that the main premise of the government's revision is how to strengthen health protection and prevent new products from nurturing new smokers.
(Photo by Liao Yanxiong)
[16:23] Chen Peiran, a member of the medical profession, said that electronic cigarettes and heating cigarettes are fashionable in design and are very attractive to young people.
He mentioned that traditional cigarettes were scientifically proven to cause serious harm to the body decades after they were sold, so they could not be banned in time but could only be controlled.
Chen Peiran said that as fewer people smoke, the medical expenses related to smoking will also be reduced. Hong Kong will not be easy to achieve results in reducing the proportion of smokers in other places.
He said that if heating cigarettes are regulated under Shao Jiahui's amendment, it is doubtful whether the current proportion of 12% smokers will rebound, let alone reduce the proportion of smokers.
He said that at the end of 2019, there was an outbreak of lung disease suspected to be related to e-cigarettes in the United States, with cases in the United Kingdom, Taiwan and other places, reiterating that the health risks are extremely high.
Whether the second heating smoke is safer, it takes decades of research to know from the experience of traditional smoke, but it is emphasized that there is no minimum level of exposure to smoke, and any level will be harmful. The WHO also stated that the tobacco business’s statement is misleading. The argument that the risk can be reduced is not valid.
Chen Peiran said that transportation-related exemptions may cause smuggling loopholes, so he does not support it either.
[16:19] Zhong Guobin said that some e-cigarette smokers said earlier that they had emphysema, so they switched to traditional cigarettes.
As for heating cigarettes, if there are data showing that heating cigarettes are less harmful than traditional cigarettes, it would be a good thing. It is helpful for citizens who want to quit smoking to reduce smoking step by step. Therefore, it is considered that a blanket ban on heating cigarettes and e-cigarettes is "too narrow."
He understands that doctors should reduce the attraction of young people to smoking, but he believes that young people smoke because of the influence of their peers.
[16:12] Liang Zhixiang said that some opinions pointed out that new products were banned this time but traditional products were not banned. They believed that it was difficult to convince the public whether the legislative process was fair. He urged the government to set a timetable for the ban on the sale of traditional cigarettes.
Liang Zhixiang said that many people around him smoke, and he is one of the victims of tobacco. He believes that the government must implement mandatory measures and must not be soft on products that harm people’s health, but the process needs to be fair.
[15:53] Rong Haien pointed out that if smokers want to quit smoking, they can use exercise and other methods instead of using other alternative products.
She asked some smokers that if they switched to electronic cigarettes and heated cigarettes, they would smoke more, so she doubted whether heated cigarettes and electronic cigarettes could help.
Rong Haien said that smokers would not know the ingredients of e-cigarettes or heating cigarettes, and when she inquired with the customs, the other party frankly said that there were no laws to enforce the law.
As for products claiming to be "beauty cigarettes" on the market, Customs officials replied that they were investigating.
Rong Haien cited the report as saying that the ingredients of e-cigarettes are harmful to the body and worry about affecting the health of teenagers and pregnant women.
[15:44] Zhang Guojun used a casino as a metaphor, saying that all gambling methods are gambling, and gambling will lose. Just as smoking is smoking in any way, it will harm the smoker's body. Therefore, both electronic cigarettes and heating cigarettes should be banned.
He said that if he voted for today, he would regret his daughter smoking in the future.
[15:27] Ye Liu Shuyi said that she has done research and believes that both e-cigarettes and heated cigarettes are addictive.
She quoted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as saying that e-cigarettes contain high nicotine and are also very attractive to young people. She pointed out that the U.S. government has received many complaints and related companies have faced many lawsuits. Physical injury.
She said that for the health of young people, both e-cigarettes and heating cigarettes should be banned. She also pointed out that if heating cigarettes and electronic cigarettes make a great contribution to retail sales, it "proves that the harm is great."
Ye Liu said that it is unacceptable to say that allowing e-cigarettes and heating cigarettes can attract mainland visitors to Hong Kong. He pointed out that Hong Kong has many tourist attractions and attractions that are enough to attract tourists.
[15:23] Yi Zhiming pointed out that the current research on heating cigarettes is insufficient. The government data only applies the data of electronic cigarettes to heating cigarettes, and believes that heating cigarettes should not be banned across the board.
Yi Zhiming said that many mainland smoking products are transferred from Hong Kong by land to other places. After the regulations come into effect, the distribution business will disappear, which is ruining the trade of cigarette products.
He suggested that the scope of inapplicability of the regulations should be expanded from air transportation to land and air transportation, and related amendments will be proposed later.
[15:15] Tian Beichen, a former smoker, said that when his daughter was four or five years old, he said, "I really want to play with you, but you are so stinky, can you bury it?" Big blow.
He said that although he didn't smoke at home, he still had a smell that couldn't be eliminated after returning home. It was because of a word from his daughter that he decided to quit smoking and never smoked.
He said that the current heating cigarettes have many colors and will be very attractive to Niu Qingren to buy. As the father-in-law of six grandchildren, he supports the prohibition of heating cigarettes and electronic cigarettes.
He also urged the government to set a timetable for smoking ban, hoping that Hong Kong will eventually become a smoke-free market.
The Liberal Party’s wholesale and retail sector member Siu Ka-fai pointed out that after the passage of the bill, there will be no choice, and smokers will have no chance to "reducing harm."
(Photo by Liao Yanxiong)
[15:05] The Liberal Party’s wholesale and retail sector member Shao Jiahui pointed out that he first declared that he had not smoked any e-cigarettes, heated cigarettes, or traditional cigarettes.
He mentioned that one of the trade associations represented by the wholesale and retail sector is the Tobacco Chamber of Commerce, which legally represents them, but based on the current situation, "if I run for election later, please don't ask tobacco friends to vote for me."
He criticized that after the bill passed this time, there was no choice, and smokers had no chance to "reducing harm."
Shao Jiahui pointed out that heating smoke to reduce harm has been rigorously scientifically demonstrated, "People have choices. Why should an 18-year-old person not affect others without letting him choose?"
He requested that the government "in response to international changes and scientific argumentation" in the future, when one day the world invents other "harm reduction", it can consider changing its policy, "consider coming forward to bleat things," instead of just "moral halo", "more Listen more, see what happens in the world, you have to go to the extreme."
Huang Dingguang sighs that coordination is difficult: the whole process of talking was overthrown and turned back
[14:25] Huang Dingguang, chairman of the Bills Committee on the Smoking (Public Health) (Amendment) Bill 2019, said that he did not want to say too much about this bill, but he has to say a few words in the end.
He declared in advance that he has no direct or indirect interest. He has been a smoker for more than 50 years, but has never been exposed to electronic cigarettes or heating cigarettes.
He said that in the 17 years of the Legislative Council, many bills committees have been dealt with. The bill this time "is really troubled and regrettable to me."
Huang Yishu said that the committee had held 6 meetings and communicated 7 times with senior officials of the bureau, including directors and deputy directors, permanent secretaries, and political assistants. It is conveyed when the industry communicates.
He communicated with the Tobacco Affairs Association 18 times and with the Smoking and Health Committee twice, but "It's a pity that he will eventually have to ask the Chief Executive to ask me to talk about the bill."
Huang Dingguang said that during the entire work process of the Bills Committee, "I feel that all the talks have been overthrown, so I went back and forth, and I felt so helpless."
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