On 15 February 2019, the Government of Hong Kong SAR published in the Gazette the Smoking(Public Health) (Amendment) Bill 2019 (Amendment Bill), which aims to ban the import, manufacture, sale, distribution and advertisement of alternative smoking products, including electronic cigarettes, heat-not-burn products and herbal cigarettes.
On 13 April 2019, the School of Nursing, the University of Hong Kong, mobilized over 40 students and staff to attend a rally at the Legislative Complex to urge the legislators to endorse the bill as soon as possible. Our efforts has been acknowledge by the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health, a statutory body to protect and improve the health of the community by reducing tobacco use by education, policy advocacy, through a letter of appreciation to Dr Kelvin Man Ping Wang:
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Dear Dr Kelvin WANG,
On behalf of Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health (COSH), I would like to express our sincere gratitude for your participation in the rally to support a total ban on alternative smoking products.
COSH urges the Legislative Council to pass the Smoking (Public Health) (Amendment) Bill 2019 promptly to ban the import, manufacture, sale, distribution and advertisement of alternative smoking products, including electronic cigarettes, heat-not-burn products and herbal cigarettes. Your presence and support in the rally on 13 April 2019 is significant for reflecting the eagerness to enact a total ban on alternative smoking products to prevent its epidemic in Hong Kong and safeguard public health, especially the next generations.
It is my pleasure to enclose the event photographs as mementos.
Yours sincerely,
Vienna LAI
Executive Director
Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health
