【明報專訊】THE GOVERNMENT is poised to table a bill as early as next month aimed at strengthening tobacco control, including a ban on e-cigarettes and a phased prohibition of flavoured tobacco products. E-cigarettes and flavoured tobacco are little more than sugar-coated poison, marketed by tobacco companies to entice young people into smoking. More worryingly, drug traffickers have seized the opportunity to lure young people into using e-cigarette devices to inhale so-called "space oil". The government's hardline approach to tobacco is fundamentally about safeguarding the next generation. In the face of numerous fallacies from opponents, the authorities must remain steadfast in their resolve.
Thanks to more than two decades of effort, Hong Kong's smoking rate has gradually declined from 12.4% in 2000 to 9.4% in 2023. However, smoking among young people has been on the rise in recent years. As the traditional tobacco market shrinks, tobacco companies have aggressively marketed e-cigarettes and flavoured tobacco, rebranding them as fashionable and supposedly less harmful alternatives to conventional cigarettes—clearly aimed at younger consumers. The previous administration set a target to reduce the smoking rate to 7.8% by 2025, though whether that goal remains achievable is increasingly uncertain.
Once the draft bill is formally introduced, tobacco companies and their advocates will likely escalate their lobbying campaigns in a bid either to derail the proposed bans on flavoured tobacco and e-cigarettes or to push for vague commitments lacking clear enforcement timetables—effectively deferring the implementation of the measures indefinitely.
Strengthening tobacco control is a matter of public welfare and the well-being of future generations. The authorities must take a broader perspective. If an economic argument is to be made, it should begin with the immense healthcare costs and workforce losses attributable to smoking. A study by the University of Hong Kong estimates that smoking costs the city more than $8 billion each year, a figure that will only rise if the scourge of tobacco continues unchecked.
Globally, Singapore offers a compelling example of resolute tobacco control. Renowned for its stringent policies, the city-state has banned smoking in all public places and prohibits the import, sale, possession and use of imitation tobacco products like e-cigarettes. Yet, Singapore, as an international metropolis, has not seen its status affected by these strict controls, nor have its trade, finance, or tourism sectors suffered significantly. Strengthening tobacco control is a global trend, and given the current smoking situation and control progress in Hong Kong, there is every reason to press ahead boldly and without delay.
In recent years, the rise in e-cigarette and flavored tobacco use among young people in Hong Kong has been notable, and the issue of adolescents consuming "space oil" has worsened. According to data from the Security Bureau, over 75% of the 300 reported cases of space oil consumption last year involved individuals aged under 21. Space oil is commonly consumed through e-cigarette devices. The Department of Health has warned that vape cartridges containing space oil are indistinguishable from ordinary ones, heightening the risk of concealed drug abuse. Some drug traffickers have even added fruit flavours to make them more palatable and appealing to younger users. A comprehensive ban on e-cigarettes would be instrumental in tackling the proliferation of space oil.
Resistance to stronger tobacco control is inevitable. Yet the authorities must demonstrate unwavering determination and rise to the challenge. They must also be prepared to counter firmly, and with facts and reason, the various fallacies that aim to protect the vested interests of the tobacco industry.
明報社評2025.03.13：控煙修例有阻力 擇善固執駁歪理
政府最快下月提交修例草案加強控煙，包括禁止電子煙及分階段取締加味煙。電子煙和加味煙是煙商吸引年輕人吸食的「糖衣毒藥」，更有毒販乘虛而入，引誘年輕人以電子煙裝置吸食「太空油」。從嚴禁煙是為了下一代，面對反對者連篇歪理，當局更應擇善固執。
經過20多年的努力，本港吸煙比率由2000年的12.4%，逐步下降至2023年的9.4%，然而年輕人吸煙情况，近年卻有上升之勢。面對傳統煙草產品市場萎縮，煙商積極開拓電子煙和加味煙市場，將之包裝成為「時麾」和所謂「影響健康較少」的產品，吸引年輕人吸食。上屆政府曾訂下目標，希望2025年吸煙率降至7.8%，能否實現未許樂觀。
當修例草案正式出爐後，煙商及其利益代言人相信將有更多政治操作，試圖令禁止加味煙及電子煙措施胎死腹中，又或沒有任何具體執行時間表，變相令措施落實遙遙無期。
加強控煙事關整體社會和下一代福祉，當局必須從大處着眼，真的要算「經濟帳」，就應該先談吸煙所帶來的龐大醫療支出和勞動力損失。港大一項研究便指出，香港每年因吸煙引起的損失80多億元，如果煙禍惡化，損失定必更大。
放眼世界，新加坡控煙從嚴舉世聞名，公共場所全面禁煙，進口、銷售、擁有和使用電子煙等仿製煙草產品亦屬違法，然而新加坡作為國際化大都市，並沒有因為從嚴控煙而影響其地位，也不見得當地經貿、金融或旅遊業因此大受拖累。加強控煙乃是世界大潮流，以目前香港的「煙情」及控煙進度，絕對有條件走得更快更前。
近年本港年輕人吸食電子煙和加味煙升勢明顯，青少年吸「太空油」問題亦見惡化。根據保安局數據，去年300宗呈報吸食太空油個案中，逾75%屬21歲以下。太空油主要用電子煙具吸食。去年衛生署便指出，含有太空油的煙彈與普通煙彈一模一樣，增加隱蔽式濫藥的可能；有毒販為了吸引年輕人，甚至會加入水果口味，使其更易入口。全面禁止電子煙，對於打擊太空油也有作用。
政府修例加強控煙，一定會遇上阻力。當局必須拿出決心，迎難而上，對於種種旨在為煙商利益護航的歪理，更須據理駁斥。
■ Glossary 生字 /
fallacy : a false idea that many people believe is true
lobby : to try to influence a politician or the government and, for example, persuade them to support or oppose a change in the law
proliferation : the sudden increase in the number or amount of sth; a large number of a particular thing
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