Alliances Seeking to Stop Tobacco Tanks and Mods Ads 菸害防制法已修法 加熱菸及載具納管

Lawmakers previously approved the third reading of proposed amendments to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act and applied tighter restrictions on heated tobacco products.

“The newly amended Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act, Taiwan go go go!”Tobacco control alliances throughout Taiwan together held a press conference on Wednesday the 18th asking for heated tobacco products and their tanks and mods to be clearly proclaimed in the announcement upon implementing the newly amended Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act. The alliances fear a loophole during the period of the announcement in which the tanks and mods will be considered regular electronic devices and be advertised and sold freely to teenagers.

Yao Si-yuan, CEO, John Tung Foundation: “Nobody buys tanks and mods without buying tobacco cartridges. So promoting the carrier itself is promoting tobacco products.”

The alliances are also suggesting the government amend the Regulations Governing Reporting of Tobacco Product Information by adding the need to declare tobacco cartridges as well before they can be sold to the public. There are over 90 known cancer-causing chemicals in tobacco so far, but the ingredients and additives in t-vapor cartridges are not entirely clear. Tobacco alliances are asking distributors to declare the ingredients and be transparent about their toxicity.

Kuo Fei-jan, Secretary-General, Taiwan Medical Alliance for the Control of Tobacco: “Besides tobacco itself, the additive is also another factor. The additives are very often not clearly stated.”

The newly amended Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act demands places that sell cigarettes have warning signs showing smoking is bad for health and no smoking if pregnant and/or under 20. The alliances are asking the government to ensure these signs are in place at about 50,000 tobacco shops and distributors nationwide before the newly amended act takes effect. 

來自全台拒菸聯盟團體、18日週三上午聯合召開記者會，呼籲政府在《菸害防制法》新法公告實施前，必須同步公告加熱菸為指定菸品，否則加熱菸載具將被視為一般3C產品，業者可以肆無忌憚的廣告促銷、販售給青少年，成為法律空窗期。

董氏基金會執行長姚思遠指出：「沒有人買加熱菸的載具是不買菸柱的，所以它只要宣傳加熱菸的載具，就等於在宣傳加熱菸的這些相關的菸柱。」

另外，拒菸聯盟也建議政府同步修正菸品資料申報辦法，包括加熱菸菸草柱必須完成申報才可販售，因為目前已知、菸草含有90多種致癌物質，但是加熱菸菸草柱的添加物一直成謎，因此要求菸商要如實申報，才知道毒性資料是否完備。

台灣醫界菸害防制聯盟秘書長郭斐然表示：「除了菸草本身的有害物質以外，事實上添加物也是個重點，而且添加物常常是沒有被明確揭露的東西。」

此外，新法規定，販賣菸品的場所應於明顯處標示，吸菸有害健康、未滿20歲及孕婦不得吸菸等文字，因此拒菸聯盟呼籲政府，新法上路前，必須完成以上3項準備工作，否則全台約5萬家菸品零售商恐怕新法一上路、就面臨違法開罰。