Smoking And Health Council Ramps Up E-cig Pressure

The Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health's chairman says the council will only accept a ban on e-cigarettes and not the government's current proposal to simply regulate them like other tobacco products.

Antonio Kwong said e-cigarettes appeal to youngsters because of their unique flavours. And he said the council's long-term goal was a complete tobacco ban – but it would aim to reduce smoking in the medium-term: "We want to achieve a smoking prevalence of 5 percent or below by 2027," he said.

Kwong said that, when this goal was reached, a public consultation could be held to see whether there was support for a ban on tobacco products.

Meanwhile, the Secretary for Health, Sophia Chan, says the government doesn't rule out a future ban on e-cigarettes or heat-not-burn products.

The medical sector and the two medical schools have been up in arms against the administration's regulation plan, saying the products should be prohibited for health reasons.

Chan said the government respects the views of the medical profession and will listen to different viewpoints.

"We will continue to look at the latest evidence," she said. "We would also want to review the entire situation of practices of other countries."

Chan said the government wouldn't rule out strengthening the regulatory framework after such a review had taken place.

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