The number of cigarette smokers has fallen significantly from 79,400 to 59,700 between 2011 and 2022, according to the “Macau Population Tobacco Use Survey.”
The Cigarette Use index in Macau has reached the goal proposed by the World Health Organization to cut the tobacco use rate by 30% from 2010 by 2025, the Health Bureau (SSM) claimed.
However, emerging products such as e-cigarettes have caused new challenges for global tobacco control.
The SSM stated that companies whose profits depend on e-cigarettes still provide false information, such as that they cause less harm than traditional tobacco. This attracts particularly young people to smoke e-cigarettes, resulting in the rapid growth of their use in various countries.
According to the “Macao Youth Tobacco Use Survey”, e-cigarettes were smoked by 4.0% of middle school students aged 13 to 15 in 2021, 1.4 percentage points higher than the 2.6% in 2015, and significantly higher than the rate for normal cigarettes in the age group (2.1%).
For this reason, the Macau government has banned the sale of e-cigarettes in Law No. 5/2011(Smoking Prevention and Control Scheme) and has concurrently prohibited the advertising, promotion and sponsorship of e-cigarettes, which has gone some way in preventing young people from being exposed to e-cigarettes.
The ban, which will be effective from Monday next week, was approved by the Legislative Assembly in an amended law in August.
Individual offenders of the law will be fined MOP4,000 while private entities or the tobacco industry will face a fine of MOP20,000 to MOP200,000 for offences.
The bureau said it would step up legislation and law enforcement as well as campaigns and education on the harm of e-cigarettes and cigarettes to teenagers.
Staff Reporter
