The Hong Kong Anti-Cancer Society (HKACS), welcomed the passing of the Smoking (Public Health) Amendment Bill 2019 on 21 October 2021 through the Legislative Council, legislating to prohibit the import, manufacture, sale, distribution and advertisement of alternative smoking products including electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products and herbal cigarettes. The ban was first proposed in the Policy Address in October 2018 and had been discussed in the Legislative Council for nearly three years.
All tobacco products including alternative smoking products are harmful. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) under World Health Organisation reports that smoking can cause lung cancer, oral cancer, nasopharynx cancer, esophageal cancer, pancreatic cancer and bladder cancer. According to a review by The Food and Drug Administration of the United States (FDA), 80 chemicals are unique to HTP aerosol or present in higher levels than in conventional cigarette smoke, including 4 possibly carcinogenic, 15 potentially genotoxic and 20 with potential health effects. Some were more than 200% or even more than 1000% higher in HTP aerosol than in conventional cigarette smoke.
In the past, HKACS joined hand with Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health to persistently advocate to the Government to raise tobacco tax at least to 75% for the health of our population. HKACS is also dedicated to reducing cancer incidence and mortality rates in Hong Kong through different education programmes. We urges the public not to smoke. If you have smoking habit, you should consider the health of yourself and your family members, quit smoking as soon as possible, maintain a balanced diet, and reduce the harm of tobacco.
