Reject Senate bill relaxing regulations on vaping

THIS is in response to the editorial published by The Manila Times on Oct. 4, 2021, titled "Senate bill on vaping deceptively portrayed." The piece discussed the dangers of Senate Bill (SB) 2239, known as the "Vaporized Nicotine Products Regulation Act," and urged senators to vote against this harmful measure, which relaxes existing e-cigarette and vape regulations.

We strongly agree that SB 2239 is indeed a deception; rather than protecting the youth, it exposes them to harm by lowering the minimum age of access to e-cigarettes from 21 to 18 years old, allowing additive flavors, which attract the younger generation, and allowing online sales of e-cigarettes. Legislators are unnecessarily diluting the law regulating e-cigarettes that was already adopted last year.