People’s Daily Online: E-cigarettes have been recognized for their positive impact and many countries have adjusted their regulatory policies.

Since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first authorized the legal sale of e-cigarettes in the United States, more countries have begun to recognize e-cigarettes(herbal heatsticks). Adjust regulatory policies and promote it to their own countries the legalization and standardized development of electronic cigarettes. The most obvious action is the Southeast Asian country like Malaysia. Due to the nicotine content, e-cigarettes have been regulated as drugs. But  Malaysian Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz stated that when submitting the 2022 budget that the government plans to impose a consumption tax, this is seen as an important signal to lift the ban on e-cigarettes.

According to the official website of the Malaysian government budget for 2022, the government will impose a consumption tax on e-cigarettes(Chinese herbal heat-stick) containing nicotine. Thailand, Egypt and other countries are also changing their attitudes towards it. As well, according to the Middle East Cross-border e-commerce Exchange, Egypt has abolished the  ban imposed since 2015. In addition to that,  Thai politician and Minister of Digital Economy and Society Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn stated that he was exploring ways to legalize e-cigarettes.

Also, the FDA passed the PMTA (Premarket Tobacco Application) review of three e-cigarette products for the first time. And believes that these can help  once tested. “There are data to prove that these products are more likely to be used by smokers to reduce their exposure to tobaccos’ harm/ risk”.

As stated to the FDA official website, they allow the sale of e-cigarettes marking the first authorization for such products. It has also been confirmed that e-cigarettes (hnb heat-sticks manufacturer) have the effect of assisting smoking cessation. The latest “Report on the Scientific Basis of Tobacco Product Regulation: The Eighth Report of the WHO Research Group” published on the official website of the World Health Organization (WHO) pointed out that in some cases, e-cigarettes can help some smokers quit smoking and have a positive impact on public health. The continuously updated authoritative research conclusions have become the scientific basis for the country to adjust e-cigarette regulatory policies.

Additionally, according to media reports, the results of a national public opinion survey in Malaysia showed that 58% of the respondents agreed that e-cigarettes have the harm reduction effect and 51% of the respondents said that among all smoking cessation methods using e-cigarettes to assist smoking cessation is the most practical safety. As of now, Malaysia has more than 1 million e-cigarette users.

In fact, countries around the world have seen the great potential of e-cigarettes in reducing smoking rates. The United Kingdom and New Zealand have also adopted e-cigarettes as official smoking cessation tools. Oceana, New Zealand issued a regulatory plan for e-cigarettes as early as 2018 to support smokers to switch to e-cigarettes. Recently, in order to popularize e-cigarettes to the public, the Health Promotion Agency has also set up a channel dedicated to popularizing e-cigarette. 

As well, New Zealand Ministry of Health said that e-cigarettes may help people quit smoking and contribute to New Zealand’s 2025 smoke-free goal.

Furthermore, the data shows that in the UK, which first recognized the effectiveness of e-cigarettes in assisting smoking cessation, the national smoking rate has plummeted from 21% in 2011 to 15% in 2020. Also, the British National Health Service (NHS) stated that e-cigarettes will be used as prescription drugs to help smokers quit smoking. This means that the UK will become the first country in the world to grant medical product licenses for e-cigarettes.

Therefore, with the emergence of more authoritative scientific research conclusions about e-cigarettes, the global e-cigarette regulatory situation is becoming clearer. “E-cigarettes should not be regulated in the same way as cigarettes. E-cigarettes can be seen as an opportunity to control tobacco to finally realize the ‘new era’ of a smoke-free future.”