The NACD has reported receiving information that there are still many locals using and selling the products. The agency who banned the products in 2014, said that these illicit activities will only feed the blackmarket.
To this effect, the NACD is urging all ministries and other relevant entities, to take the immediate action required to enforce the ban. “All forms of trafficking, trading and importation of HTPs must be stopped and information on import restrictions must be disseminated to all vendors and the public,” reads a directive by the agency.
Such blanket bans are always counterproductive
Meanwhile, the International Network of Nicotine Consumer Organisations (INNCO) has developed a report highlighting 10 reasons why blanket bans of e-cigarettes and HTPs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) don’t work. The report points out that while smoking prevalence remains high, with around 1.3 billion people using high-risk forms of tobacco, over 80% of those people live in LMICs.
The document was released in response to a position statement by the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), a Bloomberg partner for ‘The Initiative to reduce tobacco use’. In this statement The Union called for a blanket ban on all electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and heated tobacco products (HTPs) in LMICs.
The objective of the INNCO report “is to spark conversation about the right to reduce harm as a human rights issue and to highlight the inherent injustice associated with denying people access to safer alternatives simply because of where they live.”
Read Further: The Phnom Penh Post
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