Duterte formally bans vaping in public places

MANILA, February 28 ------ President Rodrigo Duterte has signed an executive order which prohibits vaping or the use of e-cigarettes in public places in an expansion of his earlier nationwide smoking ban. Executive Order No. 106, signed on Wednesday but made public only on Friday, also prohibits the sale of e-cigarettes to minors, and requires the registration of such products with the Food and Drug Administration.

Establishments that manufacture, import, and sell e-cigarettes meanwhile are required to secure a license to operate from the FDA. The latest executive order is an expansion of Duterte’s 2017 directive to ban smoking of tobacco products in public places. Duterte made good on his word last year of an executive order after health officials reported a case of electronic cigarette or vaping-associated lung injury (EVALI) in the central Philippines.

Over a million Filipinos use e-cigarettes according to the Department of Health, which has repeatedly called for an outright ban on vaping. The health department has warned that e-cigarettes are not a proven nicotine replacement therapy and can cause lung illness.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com