By creating a clear regulatory framework, the Philippines’ Vape Law supports harm
reduction strategies and allows medical practitioners to recommend alternative nicotine
products to patients who struggle to quit smoking entirely.
This policy evolution was highlighted by Dr. Andy Fernandez, an oral and maxillofacial
surgeon, at the 8th Summit on Tobacco Harm Reduction 2025, organized by the
International Association on Smoking Control and Harm Reduction (SCOHRE).
Tobacco harm reduction promotes the use of non-combustible nicotine products—such
as vapes, heated tobacco, and pouches—as safer options for smokers. Studies confirm
these alternatives reduce exposure to toxic substances found in cigarette smoke.
With the enactment of the Vape Law in 2022, Fernandez said Filipino doctors,
particularly oral and maxillofacial surgeons, have become more confident in promoting
harm reduction as a practical tool to help patients quit smoking.
“The passage of the Vape Law in 2022 has strengthened our ability to advocate for
harm reduction in clinical and community settings. The law has made our efforts more
impactful,” he said.
To ensure continued public health improvements, the Nicotine Consumers Union of the
Philippines (NCUP) highlighted the need to defend the Vape Law, which supports harm
reduction efforts nationwide.
“The Vape Law plays a vital role in harm reduction. We must defend it from any move
that could compromise its impact,” NCUP president Anton Israel emphasized.
Dr. Lorenzo Mata, president of consumer advocacy group Quit for Good, slammed
some groups that continue to demonize nicotine despite evidence that burning
tobacco—not nicotine—is the main culprit for smoking-related harm. “Restricting access
to safer alternatives forces nicotine users to remain dependent on harmful cigarettes,”
he said.
According to Fernandez, the Vape Law’s support for harm reduction is especially
relevant to oral and maxillofacial surgeons, whose work often centers on identifying oral
cancer in its early stages.
Quitting smoking remains the ideal outcome, but Fernandez pointed out that with the
Vape Law in place, Filipino surgeons are no longer limited to passive observation and
can now take a proactive role in harm reduction by recommending alternatives to
patients who struggle to quit.
“As president of the Philippine College of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons in 2011, I
championed early cancer detection and practitioner training. Today, the Vape Law gives
us the confidence to recommend innovative harm reduction products to patients,”
Fernandez said.
Fernandez emphasized that the Vape Law’s strength lies in its dual approach: setting
clear rules for vaporized products and reinforcing them with strong consumer
protections—an approach that could serve as a model for other countries.
“The Vape Law reflects a strong legislative commitment to harm reduction, with a full
regulatory framework covering everything from importation to consumer use, and
penalties to ensure compliance,” he said.
Designed with youth protection in mind, the framework prohibits sales near schools and
ensures that only adults 18 years and older can legally buy vaporized products.
Recognizing the appeal of sweet flavors to adolescents, the law restricts products with
flavors such as mango, strawberry, and tutti frutti to reduce youth access.
Fernandez highlighted that the law also provides economic benefits. Excise taxes from
regulated products like tobacco and liquor contribute to the National Health Insurance
Program (PhilHealth), strengthening healthcare access for all citizens, including children
and adolescents.
Efforts to advance harm reduction in the Philippines are in step with global initiatives
promoted by organizations such as SCOHRE.
SCOHRE on October 15 urged policymakers and parties to the Framework Convention
on Tobacco Control (FCTC) to rely on scientific evidence in shaping decisions for the
Eleventh session of the Conference of the Parties, set for November 17–22, 2025 in
Geneva.
Professor Ignatios Ikonomidis, president of SCOHRE, cautioned that the European
Union’s proposed regulatory stance—marked by prohibition and punitive taxation—risks
setting back global harm reduction efforts and narrowing consumer choice.
“Policies that consider all nicotine products as equally harmful could reverse public
health progress,” he said.
SCOHRE’s consensus statement adopted in October reasserts harm reduction as a key
pillar of public health, working in tandem with prevention and cessation, and calls for
responsible regulation and honest risk communication to consumers.
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