Groups Urge to Amend Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act 國高中生吸電子煙比例升 民團籲速修法

While cigarette smoking among secondary school students declined in the last few years, vaping has more than doubled from 2.7 percent in 2018 to 6.6 percent of in 2021. Parents groups and anti-smoking groups are calling on the legislature to amend the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act in the current session.

Although 90 percent of vapes contain nicotine, vapes are unregulated in Taiwan and prevalence has more than doubled among secondary school students in recent years. Nicotine is toxic to nerves in the prefrontal cortex and affects the cognitive development of children and teenagers.

Dr. Lai Chih-kuan, Board Director, Taiwan Medical Alliance for the Control of Tobacco: “Once teens are addicted, their entire life revolves around their next fix. Nicotine also has a huge impact on the development of the brain.”

Parents groups and anti-smoking groups want lawmakers to revise the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act during the current session to regulate if not ban vapes.

Lin Ching-li, Director, Tobacco Hazards Prevention Center, John Tung Foundation: “(During the last session, revisions to) the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act were reviewed by the Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee. To our astonishment, revisions to 37 of the 40 articles were rejected. Everyone knows how much harm smoking does, and yet laws have not changed in 15 years. ”

So far, 14 of Taiwan's municipalities have passed autonomous regulations to regulate vapes. Health Promotion Administration Director-General Wu Chao-chun is also calling on lawmakers to pass relevant revisions as soon as possible.

添加了水果香氣或是花香的電子煙口味五花八門，也成功吸引青少年族群的目光，近幾年來國中以及高中職生使用電子煙的比例明顯增加，但其實９成以上的的電子煙都含有尼古丁，對青少年大腦前額葉皮層中會產生神經毒性作用，干擾青少年的認知發展。

台灣醫界菸害防制聯盟理事賴志冠醫師指出：「一旦成癮以後，對青少年講最主要就是一個生活上的控制，整個生活整個作息被尼古丁所控制，再來青少年過早造成尼古丁成癮後，會對腦部發育造成很大很大的影響。」

新型菸品不斷改良，口味沒有最新只有更新，在立法院新會期開始，多個家長團體和禁菸團體共同舉行記者會，呼籲延宕多年的菸害防制法能夠在本會期盡速完成修法，對電子煙進行控管甚至禁止。

董氏基金會菸害防制中心主任林清麗表示：「（上會期）菸害防制法已經送出衛環委員會，但是我們很訝異的這40幾條的菸害防制法竟然是保留了37條，也就是說絕大部分四分之三的條文都是被保留，菸害防制跟新型菸品的危害這麼明確，15年多沒有去修法跟做法案的一個修正草案。」

全台目前有14個縣市通過對新型菸品的地方自治條例，但規範不一，國健署署長吳昭軍回應，目前菸害防制法修正草案已經交付政黨協商，為了在現在市面上電子煙充斥的情況，有效保護青少年，國建署的立場也希望能夠盡速通過。