China News Client Beijing, June 4th (Xie Yiguan) On November 1, 2019, the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration and the State Administration of Market Supervision and Administration jointly issued the "Notice on Further Protecting Minors from Electronic Cigarettes" (below (Referred to as "Announcement"), urged the e-commerce platform to close e-cigarette stores in time and remove e-cigarette products in time.
All of a sudden, e-commerce platforms have delisted e-cigarettes. Is it really "smoke-free online" now, or is it "resurgence"?
The picture shows a screenshot of the sale of atomized energy bars on the e-commerce platform.
"Makeover" reappears
The reporter logged into e-commerce platforms such as Taobao, JD.com, Pinduoduo and found that when directly searching for "e-cigarette", it would display "sorry, no related products were found." "Energy bar", multiple platforms will appear similar electronic cigarette products, the price is below 100 yuan, there are a variety of taste options.
However, some businesses said that the atomizing stick is not an electronic cigarette. Was it really different, or was there a "vest" to avoid supervision?
When the reporter asked about the difference between atomizers and e-cigarettes in many stores, the customer service did not clearly answer, but emphasized that it did not contain nicotine and tar, and there was no harm.
It is worth noting that "0 tar, anti-addiction", "without nicotine, suitable for people who quit smoking", "can help quit smoking" and other advertising slogans, has also been the selling point of many electronic cigarette promotion.
The ingredient list attached to the product details page of the atomizer bar shows that it contains glycerin, propylene glycol, flavors and other ingredients. Glycerin and propylene glycol are the main components of electronic cigarette oil.
Zhang Jianshu, president of the Beijing Tobacco Control Association, told reporters from China News that this is an e-cigarette category. "Because e-cigarettes include not only nicotine delivery systems, but also non-nicotine delivery systems."
"In addition, businesses claim to have not added nicotine. Although there is this possibility, we have no way to prove what the ingredients are added. Our country does not yet have a quality certification standard for e-cigarette products." Zhang Jianshu said.
It can also be seen from the product evaluation that many consumers buy electronic cigarettes and describe them as "large smoke" and "good taste".
The picture shows the consumer evaluation in the product evaluation column.
"Atomized energy bar is a concept product, which requires institutional medical certification. There is no effective product that belongs to the medical category. They are all traditional electronic cigarettes. Just change the name and beautify it." Some netizens commented.
Minors can easily buy
The results of the 2019 Chinese Tobacco Survey released by the Chinese Center for Disease Control show that the proportion of middle school students smoking cigarettes has decreased significantly in the past five years, but the proportion of e-cigarettes has increased significantly. At the same time, the smoking rate of high school students is much higher than that of junior high school students. Is not optimistic. At present, the number of people who smoke e-cigarettes in my country at the age of 15 and over reaches 10 million, mainly young people aged 15 to 24, and the youth group is the main consumer of e-cigarettes.
"Adolescents generally lack correct understanding of e-cigarettes, there is curiosity and certain misunderstandings, and due to the immature organ system, adolescents are also more sensitive to harmful substances in e-cigarettes. E-cigarettes can affect the brain function and growth of young people , Is not conducive to the healthy growth of young people." Shanghai Pudong Disease Control Center said.
In recent years, regulatory authorities have also issued announcements many times to protect minors from e-cigarettes. However, after e-cigarettes have undergone a "facelift", minors can easily buy them online.
A reporter's investigation found that although some shops use small prints to prompt under-products that minors are prohibited from buying, they do not have any precautions and review mechanisms for minor purchases, and they can pay directly.
It is worth noting that some merchants even add coffee bean extract to play the gimmick of "revitalizing and refreshing, and driving away doze", which is more likely to induce young people to buy.
Data Map: At the first Beijing Electronic Cigarette Exhibition, people are experiencing electronic cigarettes. China News reporter Jin Shuoshe
Is it safe and harmless without nicotine?
Many people care whether this kind of nicotine-free e-cigarette is really "safe and harmless" as the merchants say, or is it suspected of false propaganda?
In this regard, Zhang Jianshu believes that even if the nebulizer does not contain nicotine, but the addition of chemical components such as propylene glycol and glycerin, these are harmful to the human body, and some even contain heavy metals, which have an impact on the health of consumers, especially teenagers. .
"Some ingredients business promotion is food grade, but it does not mean that it can be atomized, inhaled into the lungs, absorbed through the digestive tract and absorbed through the respiratory tract are two different things." Zhang Jianshu added.
The notices of the above two departments also clearly pointed out that in order to improve the attractiveness of products, some e-cigarette companies randomly add various additives to change the taste of e-cigarettes and the color of e-liquid, which poses serious harm to consumers' physical and mental health, especially minors.
Atomizing sticks containing components such as propylene glycol and glycerin can also cause environmental pollution problems.
Shanghai Pudong Disease Control Center pointed out that the aerosol generated by heating and atomization will increase the concentration of propylene glycol, glycerin, fine particles, volatile organic compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the air. These substances are a new type of environmental pollution source. When the concentration of sol reaches a certain level, it will have a stimulating effect on the respiratory tract, causing an inflammatory response, and causing diseases such as pharyngitis, bronchitis, pneumonia and so on.
Data map: Electronic cigarette smoke oil. China News reporter Jin Shuoshe
How to regulate the huge electronic cigarette market?
With the improvement of people's living standards, more and more attention has been paid to the influence of smoking on people's health. E-cigarettes are promoted as an electronic product that replaces cigarettes, creating a healthy and trendy image, which has developed rapidly in recent years.
According to the data from the company's survey, after 2013, e-cigarette-related companies have grown rapidly. In 2015, a total of 11,000 new e-cigarette-related companies were added. In 2017, a total of 18,000 new companies were added. In 2019, 30 thousand new companies were added, a year-on-year increase of 30%.
At present, there are 144,000 working and surviving enterprises related to electronic cigarettes in my country. Shandong Province, Guangdong Province, and Jiangsu Province rank the top three in terms of the number of registered companies, of which Shandong Province ranks first with 26,000 companies. Hebei, Henan, Anhui, Zhejiang, Shaanxi, Sichuan and Hubei are among the top ten.
The e-cigarette industry is mixed, and the products are "reinvented" repeatedly. How can we regulate this huge market?
A report recently released by the World Health Organization recommends that e-cigarette companies provide medical product-level health statements in packaging; increase the difficulty and cost for smokers to switch from e-cigarettes to cigarettes; through standardization regulations, minimize the health risks of e-cigarette users: clear liquid smoke The content and nicotine concentration prohibit the addition of carcinogens, mutagens, and other harmful substances; the use of child protection containers in the packaging of cigarette bombs, and the product addiction in the packaging; the use of the product tracking function to monitor health or safety events in real time. (Finish)