According to recent news from the Philippine Department of Public Health, AnaKalusugan Party-list representative Ray T. Reyes is urging other legislators to reconsider existing policies regulating the use of e-cigarette products, as there have been cases of lung-related illnesses associated with e-cigarette use.
Reyes calls for a thorough review of the Republic Act No. 11900 or the "Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Act" and advocates for transferring the responsibility of regulating e-cigarette products from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
For years, we have been warning everyone that placing e-cigarettes under the supervision of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is a mistake. Two years have passed, and now we are seeing the consequences. We need to amend the IRR (Implementing Rules and Regulations) to return e-cigarette products to the Department of Health (DOH) and FDA, rather than the DTI.
Reyes cited a report from the Philippine College of Chest Physicians, which showed a significant increase in cases of e-cigarette/vaping-associated lung injury (EVALI) nationwide. He also referenced the latest Global Youth Tobacco Survey, which revealed that 14% (or one in seven) of Filipinos aged 13 to 15 are already using e-cigarettes.
It is concerning that an increasing number of young people in the Philippines are using e-cigarettes. We should redouble our efforts to enforce smoking and e-cigarette laws, especially those targeting minors.
According to data from the Philippine National Police, over 8,600 minors were arrested for violating e-cigarette and smoking laws from May to December 2023.
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