MANILA, Philippines – A group has called on Congress to pass a law that would regulate the usage of e-cigarettes and vape products to protect youth in the Philippines.
“Yet an elephant in the room remains – the influx and rising prevalence of the use of e-cigarettes. This is an issue that Congress indeed needs to face head-on,” Romeo Dongeto, executive director of the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD), said in a statement on Wednesday.
In a survey conducted by the Department of Health, there are over 1 million Filipinos using e-cigarettes. Of the number, one in every five persons is young people aged 10 to 19 years old.
PLCPD appealed to the public that e-cigarettes are not safer than normal cigarettes, citing that some studies showed that using nicotine in “adolescence may harm parts of the brain that control attention, learning, mood, and impulse control.”
PLCPD said the government must address the issues on the e-cigarette industry before it becomes a “full-blown public crisis.”
“Let us not wait until reports of its detrimental effects on children and the youth proliferate,” Dongeto said.
“Before the use of e-cigarettes become a full-blown public crisis, may this pressing public health issue deeply penetrate into the national conversation and compel our legislators and government officials to act decisively,” Dongeto added.
READ: E-cigarettes ‘undoubtedly harmful’ says WHO