On August 14, according to the Argentine media eleconomista reported that the Argentine electronic cigarette Association questioned the government’s policy of regulating electronic cigarettes, admitting that electronic cigarettes are not harmless, but for those who can not or do not want to quit smoking, electronic cigarettes can reduce the risk of traditional tobacco by 95%. Therefore, they call for independent regulation that does not treat it the same as traditional tobacco.
About one million Argentines use e-cigarettes
E-cigarettes and heated tobacco products are popular around the world, not only by people looking for options that are non-combustible and contain less nicotine, but also by people who prefer to inhale nicotine-free scented vaping.
The use of these products is not legally sanctioned in Argentina, where an estimated one million people are currently using e-cigarettes nationwide.
However, since 2011, the sale, import, distribution, promotion and advertising of e-cigarettes have been banned according to the National Food, Drug and Medical Technology Administration (ANMAT). At the same time, the Ministry of Health has banned the use of heated tobacco products from March 2023.
Compared with smoking traditional cigarettes, nicotine and about 7,000 kinds of toxic substances in cigarettes are addictive, which may lead to respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases and a variety of cancers (such as lung cancer, throat cancer, pharyngeal cancer, etc.).
In Argentina, according to statistics published by the Ministry of Health, 22.2 per cent of adults over the age of 18 smoke, and approximately 45,000 people die from smoking each year (14 per cent of all deaths).
The health effects of cigarettes cause a host of problems each year: 19,000 cancer diagnoses, 33,000 pneumonia cases, 11,000 strokes, 61,000 hospitalizations for cardiovascular disease, and more than 100,000 new cases of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Calls for independent regulation
An e-cigarette, formally known as a Nicotine Electronic Delivery System (SEAN) or nicotine-free electronic Delivery System (SESN), is a battery-powered device that heats a solution consisting of propylene glycol, glycerin and possibly fragrances to 250 degrees Celsius to produce an aerosol for consumers to inhale.
In addition, heated tobacco products (PTC), by heating specially made tobacco leaves and nicotine bombs without burning them, are considered toxic and carcinogenic by WHO. As a result, the WHO said PTC should be regulated as “other products among tobacco products” because “there is currently insufficient data to suggest that they are more harmful than traditional cigarettes.”
In Argentina, the Ministry of Health has severely restricted e-cigarettes and PTC due to concerns about their potential health risks and addictive behaviors.
However, the Argentine e-cigarette Association admits that e-cigarettes are not completely harmless, but claims that for people who can’t or don’t want to quit smoking, e-cigarettes are 95 percent less risky than traditional tobacco.
Therefore, they call for independent regulation that does not treat it the same as traditional tobacco.
The association’s president, Juan Facundo Teme, believes that e-cigarette use is stigmatized in Argentina, and he called on the government to study regulations in countries like the United Kingdom, asking “why is the only option in Latin America a ban?”
References:
【1】Vapeo en Argentina: ¿es sensata su prohibición?