VIETNAM is among the 15 countries with the largest number of adult male smokers in the world, mainly due to easy access to cigarettes triggered by the low tobacco tax and emergence of various types of e-cigarettes, according to a health official.
The reduction in the rate of smokers in the country had not yet reached the target set out in the Strategy on Prevention and Control of Tobacco’s Harmful Effects, Luong Ngoc Khue, head of the Health Ministry’s Department of Medical Service Administration, said on Tuesday.
The Ministry of Information and Communications held the workshop in coordination with the Ministry of Health on the prevention and control of tobacco’s harmful effects.
On the low reduction rate of smokers, Khue said the main reason was that Vietnam’s tobacco tax was very low.
He said that low cigarette prices increased the ability to access and buy tobacco among young people and the poor.
In addition, new and diversified e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products make it easy for many people, especially young people, to access cigarettes easily.
Worldwide, smoking leads to eight million deaths a year and one million die due to passive smoking.
According to World Health Organisation estimates, smoking causes economic losses of US$1.4 trillion (RM6.43 trillion) globally.
Tobacco is also the reason for deforestation and increasing environmental pollution.
Every year, about 5% of the forest area is cleared to grow tobacco.
It is estimated that each year, 18 billion trees are needed to make firewood for tobacco drying, the use of tobacco releases into the environment 3,000-6,000 tonnes of formaldehyde, 12,000-47,000 tonnes of nicotine and 300-600 million kilos of toxic substances from cigarette butts.
Over the years, the prevention and control of tobacco’s harmful effects in Vietnam have achieved many remarkable results, according to Khue.
Compared to 2015, the rate of tobacco use among Vietnamese men decreased from 45.3% to 42.3%.
WHO estimates that Vietnam has avoided 280,000 premature deaths from tobacco use-related diseases.
The cost saved was thanks to reduced rates of diseases caused by tobacco use in the 2015-2020 period. — Vietnam News/ANN
