Youth groups, health advocates push for total vape ban

MANILA – A public health advocacy group and over 60 youth organizations on Tuesday called for a comprehensive vape ban in the country to protect the younger generation from a growing "vapedemic."

In a collective push coinciding with World Health Day, HealthJustice Philippines and the rest of the advocates urged the government to align its policies with several ASEAN neighbors that have already enforced total bans on electronic cigarettes and novel nicotine products.

“We applaud our young generation of leaders for standing united to urgently call for an end to the vapedemic plaguing our Filipino youth. We cannot afford to treat this as a low-priority issue,” former Health Secretary and HealthJustice board member Dr. Jaime Galvez Tan said.

Galvez Tan emphasized that an absolute ban is necessary to end the "cycle of misinformation" regarding vapes and to safeguard the health of young Filipinos.

In an open letter addressed to the Philippine government, the Global Youth Voices coalition backed the Department of Health’s (DOH) recent pronouncements calling for a total ban.

Philippine Smoke-Free Movement Youth national coordinator Rizza Duro urged lawmakers to take the DOH's stance as a "strong signal" to enact policies that prevent further health damage.

“This offers the Philippines a chance to adopt a bold measure, similar to those implemented by other countries in the ASEAN region,” Duro said.

The advocates outlined three key measures for policymakers to adopt, namely prohibiting novel nicotine products to prevent the creation of a new generation of nicotine users; safeguarding of health policymaking from tobacco industry interference, in line with the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control; and upholding government responsibility in protecting the health of future generations.

The coalition stressed that decisions made by current leaders will shape the health environment of the future.

“We hope the Philippine government will act fast to protect public health and safeguard future generations,” the group’s open letter concluded. (PNA)