Different government agencies in Cambodia are stepping up campaigns to limit vaping use and uptake among teenagers. The campaigns target both students and youths outside school systems.
Like youth across the world, Cambodian youth have embraced vaping at higher levels than smoking. This is because vaping does not produce smoke and vapes come in different flavors and are easy to conceal. This has many people in the government worried because vaping and the sale of vapers are legal in the country. This means that there is very little legal action the government can take.
The authorities have therefore turned to awareness campaigns to help educate the youth about the dangers of electronic cigarettes. According to the National Authority for Combating Drugs (NACD) secretary general Meas Vyrith, e-cigarettes dispense nicotine which is highly addictive. In addition, nicotine can interfere with the proper brain development of adolescents. E-cigarettes also contain other harmful substances that can affect the health of the users. The use of these products should therefore be limited.
Vyrith says that his agency is trying to curb the widespread use of vaping products among young people in the country. He believes that the use of e-cigarettes by teens, young kids, and even young adults is harmful to their health and should be stopped. However, is quick to note that there is no law against e-cigarettes and therefore no legal action can be taken against the user.
“We cannot arrest them and send them to court. We can only advise them and hopefully, they will listen. We can however take action against people who sell e-cigarette devices on the sly.” he said.
He says that his agency is currently studying existing laws and legal frameworks to find ways they can be used to curb the widespread vaping in the country. This is particularly because vaping has become popular among the youth who thinks it is safe and cooler than smoking cigarettes. He adds: “they are so very wrong. Users must be made aware of how unhealthy and dangerous vaping, or cigarette smoking, can be.”
The police have also taken note of the prevalence of vaping among the youth and are also gearing up to go with their efforts to curb the mess. According to Brigadier General Teng Channath, the provincial police chief for Siem Reap, the police in the province have received many reports of students vaping and smoking cigarettes in the public.
He says the police are planning campaigns to educate secondary school students in Siem Reap city on the dangers of using e-cigarettes. He also says police have information on the most notorious schools and will raid them to recover the e-cigarette devices from the students.
Major General Chuon Narin, the provincial police chief for Preah Sihanouk is also concerned with the high number of youths using e-cigarettes in his province. He says police have confiscated vaping devices from students in the province. He says police will continue the campaigns and are looking for underground sellers who sell to underage users.
In Banteay Meanchey province, the provincial police chief Major General Sith Loh says police have been on campaigns to educate teenagers on the dangers of using e-cigarettes. He says the police have also been working hard to confiscate those devices from underage users.
Dr Mom Kong, the executive director of the Cambodia Movement for Health proposes that the government should consider increasing the tax on tobacco products including e-cigarettes to make them expensive for the youth. This he believes will help reduce their use.
