On 25th July, 2022, the Philippines’ “Vape Bill” was enacted, aiming to regulate the import, sale, manufacture, distribution, and use of e-cigarette and heated tobacco products. The bill is being welcomed by activists as a step in the right direction toward embracing harm reduction strategies.

The Philippines enacted a bill on the 25th of July in a step toward promoting vaping and heated tobacco products as effective harm reduction strategies. The bill importantly focuses on imposing age restrictions on nicotine products for those under 18 years of age, ensuring that current adult smokers have access to these less harmful alternatives to cigarettes while combatting youth usage.

Liza Katsiashvili, the community manager at the World Vapers’ Alliance, said in a prentsa-oharra: "Politikagile gehienak gaizki informatuta dauden eta vaping-aren aurka borrokatzen ari diren arren, Filipinek bide egokia jarraitu zuten vaping bizitzak salbatzeko kalteak murrizteko berrikuntza eraginkor gisa hartzeko. Beste herrialde batzuek adibide hau jarraitu beharko lukete eta lurruntze-politika adimendunak onartu beharko lituzkete mundu osoan milioika kontsumitzaileren osasun publikoa hobetzea bermatzeko".

Every year, smoking kills nearly 100,000 people in the Philippines. This progressive bill seeks to embrace vaping as a safer nicotine alternative to smoking, and in the process, should help the country cut down on smoking-related illnesses, diseases, and hopefully, death.

Anton Israel, founder of the Nicotine Consumption Union of the Philippines (NCUP), said: "Filipinetako bapolariak garaipen itzela ospatzen ari dira! Vape faktura kontsumitzaileentzako aukera eta aukera sustatzen dituen osasun-estrategia dela uste dugu, erretzaileek erregaiaren tabakoaren alternatiba seguruagoez gozatzeko aukera. Gobernuak lurruntzea bultzatzeko erabakiak desanimatu beharrean osasun publikoko onura handiak ekarriko dizkio herrialdeari".

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