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 - Published: Thursday, January 30, 2020 Deputies
analyze possible tax on vapers and electric
cigarettes
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff Daniel Salas-Peraza, minister of Health told lawmakers that purchases and use of electronic cigarettes and vapers should be regulated, because their use "is harmful to people's health." He appeared before the Permanent Commission of Social Affairs of the Legislative Assembly where the bill No. 21658, entitled Regulation of Vapes and Electronic Cigarettes, is being analyzed. According to Salas-Peraza, "It is necessary to put a specific tax on these devices, as it would help with the lack of resources in Social Security to address the diseases that they are causing in the population." According to the minister, this new tax will be extremely important for the country, and the proposed law has full support from the Ministry of Health. The regulation proposed by the ministry is in response to the health alert that was issued regarding the use of vapers. According to, Salas-Peraza there is no study that can confirm that these devices are therapy to quit smoking. The minister reported that Social Security has a large deficit of medications for chronic patients and that even what is estimated to be collected in this tax will be not enough to meet all Social Security needs. The resources collected by this tax would be delivered to Social Security to purchase medicines necessary for the treatment of tobacco-related pathologies, like cancer, cardiovascular illness and lung problems, among others generated by the use of these devices. In November the Institute of Alcoholism and Drug Dependence announced it joined the alert issued by the Ministry of Health about the use of vapes and electronic cigarettes because they are related to outbreaks of lung problems that have caused deaths in the U.S. According to the institute, the World Health Organization has not endorsed these products as an alternative therapy to abandon nicotine dependence since there are no relevant data from the tobacco industry that scientifically demonstrate that they can help to abandon consumption. On the contrary, there is evidence that those who smoke electronic cigarettes end up making double consumption of these and traditional cigarettes, said the institute. "In recent years there has been growing popularity and an increase in the use of vape and electronic cigarettes which have become a worrying situation," said the institute in its statement. According to a survey done in 2015 by the ministry, 1.6% of smokers used these products. In 2019 the most recent survey results show levels of consumption of vape and electric cigarettes have increased significantly, especially in teenagers and young people, the institute said. According to Teresita Arrieta, from the institute, “although it is true, electric cigarettes are products with a smaller amount of chemical compounds, there are also no studies that prove they are harmless to health since it has been proven that they have a significant amount of heavy metals such as nickel, tin, lead, volatile organic compounds and other substances such as propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin and artificial flavorings, which causes damage to health, including in the oral cavity and respiratory tract and are related to the associated pulmonary syndrome." According to Arrieta, these products are generators of a large number of cardiovascular diseases and cancer, in addition to the risk of explosion. According to the institute, electronic cigarettes have become popular and developed in a very dizzying way, so much so that the tobacco industry has designed up to the fourth generation of these products, which means that they are increasingly sophisticated in their manufacture, calling attention especially to teenagers who like electronic devices of all kinds. The vendors of these products have been led to believe that they are products that help quit smoking. However, they are another device for supplying nicotine, the institute said, adding: "Another worrying aspect is that different studies have confirmed the existence of steam in the environment that affects the health of those who live with smokers of electronic cigarettes. When the steam warms, there is a breakdown of some of the mentioned chemicals, producing nicotine concentrations in the environment similar to that of conventional cigarettes and other toxic compounds." For inquiries about the effects of vape and electronic cigarettes, the institute has the line 2224-6122 ext 159 Tuesday due to the latest information provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, the ministry declared an alert about the use of these vaporizers, including e-cigarette. According to the recommendations of the ministry, the use of vapes or e-cigarette, with or without nicotine, is related to the outbreak of a pulmonary syndrome associated with the use of electronic cigarettes in the U.S. "The recommendation is issued through a health alert, which also instructs health centers to notify cases of the mentioned pulmonary syndrome, presenting a history of use of this type of electronic device," said the ministry in its statement. According to the ministry, there is scientific evidence on the health risks of the use of vapes and electronic cigarettes, among which are difficulty breathing, throat and mouth irritation, dry cough, development of respiratory symptoms, increase of severe respiratory disease, reduced pulmonary immune function, headache, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, increased heart rate and blood pressure, kidney failure, low sodium levels and gastrointestinal symptoms, among others. Also, the substances used in vapes or e-cigarette, including tobacco and its derivatives, are not safe since these devices do not emit water vapor, but an aerosol composed of a mixture of chemicals, heavy metals and ultrafine particles that can be harmful to both the consumer and exposed people, said the ministry. According to the ministry, the vape cannot be classified as a method for smoking cessation because there is no independent and conclusive scientific evidence to support their use as an effective method for that purpose. ------------------------ Are you for or against a tax on vapes and e-cigarettes? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com |
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