According to the Vietnam+ report on November 15th, Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam, Lê Thành Long, clarified during the parliamentary meeting that there are still many conflicting views on the management policy of new tobacco, including from regulators, scientists, and the business sector.
He stated that, according to government instructions, when formulating regulatory policies for new tobacco products such as heated tobacco and e-cigarettes, scientific data must be used as the basis and the interests of all relevant parties must be considered. However, despite the government urging various departments for years to provide management proposals early, a unified plan has still not been reached.
During the 8th National Congress meeting on November 12th, Vice Premier Li Chenglong emphasized that this issue has received widespread attention from both the public and voters. He pointed out that there are many different opinions on the matter, including perspectives from managers, scientists, and the business community.
During the meeting, Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyễn Hồng Diên reiterated that during the consultation process, some ministries agreed with the Ministry of Industry's pilot management plan, but the Ministry of Health took an opposing stance. There are varying opinions on the dangers of new tobacco products.
Vice Premier Li Chenglong has called for the Ministry of Health to work together with relevant departments to develop effective regulatory measures.
"The government has repeatedly instructed the Ministry of Health to cooperate with other agencies such as the Ministry of Justice to enhance the regulation of new tobacco products and to study proposals for amending the Tobacco Control Act."
He proposed that policy-making not only involves the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Justice, but also requires coordination with other relevant departments. For example, the evaluation of the impact on consumers is the responsibility of the Ministry of Health, production issues are handled by the Ministry of Industry, and market management is overseen by the Market Supervisory Authority.
In addition, when considering whether to fully ban new tobacco products, Tạ Văn Hạ, the Vice Chairman of the National Assembly's Cultural and Educational Committee, stated that it is necessary to fully consider the level of harm of each product and compare it with traditional tobacco. He also mentioned the importance of maintaining the rights of the existing 12 million smokers to access reduced-harm products.
Some experts believe that deficiencies in the law should be supplemented with innovative thinking during the legal construction process. At the same time, attention should be paid to the process of policymaking, as the black market takes advantage of legal loopholes.
