Electronic cigarettes | Concern group worried about turning to black market after ban on sale

The government stipulates that starting from this Saturday (30th), the import, manufacture, sale, distribution and promotion of smoking products such as electronic cigarettes and heated cigarettes will be prohibited.

Groups concerned about heated cigarettes said on a Hong Kong and Taiwan program this morning (27th) that recently, many smokers rushed to buy related products before the ban.

Tang Xiuqi, chairman of the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health, said on the same program that the measures will send a clear message to young people that products such as e-cigarettes and heated cigarettes are harmful to health and are expected to help reduce smoking rates.

He said that the current retail price of a pack of traditional cigarettes in Hong Kong is about more than 60 yuan, and the tobacco tax has not increased significantly for many years.

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800 interviewed smokers said they would not quit smoking because of the ban on e-cigarettes

Lu Qilu, the convener of the heated cigarette concern group, said on the Hong Kong and Taiwan program "Millennium" this morning that more smokers have rushed to buy related products before the ban takes effect. The concern group interviewed about 800 smokers earlier to learn about the ban. The results showed that no one indicated that they would quit smoking because of this, and they were worried that more people would turn to the black market to buy related products in the future, or transfer to traditional cigarettes, which would be more harmful.

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Tang Xiuqi said on the same program that the measure is an important step towards a smoke-free Hong Kong. It can send a clear message that products such as e-cigarettes and heated cigarettes are harmful to health, and appeal to young people not to contact them, which will help reduce the smoking rate.

As for the smuggling of tobacco and other issues, he said that he has contacted law enforcement and believes that relevant parties will spare no effort to enforce the law.

Tang Xiuqi, chairman of the Smoking and Health Committee (file photo/photo by Li Zetong)

Tang Xiuqi also pointed out that previous surveys have shown that if the retail price of each pack of cigarettes reaches 100 yuan, it will help to promote smokers to quit smoking.

He continued that the current retail price of a pack of cigarettes in Hong Kong is about more than 60 yuan, which is cheaper than other developed countries. Tobacco tax accounts for about 63% of the price of tobacco, which is lower than the 75% recommended by the World Health Organization.

He suggested that the government should increase the tax rate by 100%, so that the retail price will be increased to about 100 yuan, which is believed to effectively promote the public to quit smoking.

Electronic cigarettes｜Complete ban on sales from 4.30 The concern group is dissatisfied that traditional cigarettes can still be sold: if one of them is determined to quit, they will quit!

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