The Cigarette and Electronic Cigarettes itself

Cigarettes, cigars, and pipe tobacco are made from dried tobacco leaves. Other substances are
often added for flavor and to make smoking more pleasant. The smoke from these products is a
complex mixture of chemicals produced by burning tobacco and its additives. Tobacco smoke is
made up of thousands of chemicals, including at least 70 known to cause cancer. These cancer-
causing chemicals are referred to as carcinogens. Some of the chemicals found in tobacco
smoke include Nicotine (the addictive drug that produces the effects in the brain that people
are looking for), Hydrogen cyanide, Formaldehyde, Lead, Arsenic, Ammonia, Radioactive
elements, such as polonium-210, Benzene, Carbon monoxide, Tobacco-specific nitrosamines
(TSNAs) and Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Many of these substances cause cancer.
Some can cause heart disease, lung disease, or other serious health problems, too. Most of the
substances come from the burning tobacco leaves themselves, not from additives included in
cigarettes or other tobacco products (American Cancer Society, 2020).
E-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) have become very popular in
recent years, especially among younger people (American Cancer Society, 2020). They are
sometimes used as substitutes for cigarettes or other tobacco products, but for many people,
they are the first tobacco product used. These may or may not contain nicotine. The main
constituents of the solution by volume are propylene glycol, with or without glycerol, and
flavoring agents. E-cigarettes do not contain tobacco but are harmful to health and are not safe.
Makers of e-cigarettes and other ENDS often claim the ingredients are safe. But the aerosols
(mixtures of very small particles) that these products produce can contain addictive nicotine,
flavorings, and a variety of other chemicals, some known to be toxic or to cause cancer. The
levels of many of these substances appear to be lower than in traditional cigarettes, but the
amounts of nicotine and other substances in these products can vary widely because they are
not standardized. The long-term health effects of these devices aren't yet known. However, it is
too early to provide a clear answer on the long-term impacts of using them or being exposed to
them. Advertising, marketing, and promotion of ENDS has grown rapidly, through channels
which rely heavily on internet and social media. Much of the marketing around these products
gives rise to concern about deceptive health claims, deceptive claims on cessation efficacy, and
targeting towards youth especially with the use of flavors (World Health Organization, 2022).

Effects of Using Cigarettes and E-cigarettes

Smoking causes sickness and disability and it kills there are more than 4,000 chemicals in
tobacco smoke sixty of which are known to cause cancer. Smoking harms nearly every organ in
the body reduces your health and causes many diseases, it causes oral and lung cancer and
increases the risk of many other cancers. It also causes breathing problems and increases the
risk of dangerous infection like pneumonia. Smokers have more of a chance of having a heart
attack and are twice as likely to have a stroke. According to World Health Organization (WHO)
Tobacco kills more than 8 million people each year. More than 7 million of those deaths are the
result of direct tobacco use while around 1.2 million are the result of non-smokers being
exposed to second-hand smoke.
Smoking can even accelerate hair loss in men and smoking also affects the eyes and smokers
are more likely to develop cataracts as they age and it raises the risk of developing weakened
bones or osteoporosis, smokers tend to have yellow teeth and develop gum diseases persistent
bad breath and other oral hygiene problems above all it kills five million people every year and
makes many more fall ill. Passive exposure to cigarette smoke also damages health not only to
themselves smokers also expose others to tobacco smoke in offices, homes and public places
those most at risk are their own family and friends passive smoking exposes non-smokers to
most of the same toxic gases chemicals and fine particles that smokers inhale passive exposure
causes similar health effects as for those who smoke children are particularly susceptible and
are more likely to suffer from asthma and serious lung infections. cigarettes contain nicotine
which is highly addictive some research has suggested that it can be more addictive than heroin
even if you want to quit you may find it difficult because you are addicted to its effects.
users and chances of users of cigarettes and e-cigarettes
Tobacco smoking is illegal for minors in the Philippines. However, the use of tobacco by young
people, including children, remains widespread.
Based on the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) 2019, 12.5% of students aged 13-15 in the
Philippines are current tobacco users. This is equivalent to around 762,000 students who smoke
cigarettes and other types of tobacco. While this represents a decline from the 14.5% recorded
in 2015, the latest figure still represents a significant proportion of the young people. Among
boys, the percentage of tobacco users is even higher at 18.3% as of 2019. For girls, this figure is
6.9%.
But more alarming is the rise in the use of electronic cigarettes among young people. In the age
group 13-15 years old, electronic cigarettes recorded the highest prevalence compared to other
tobacco products. It is estimated that 14.1% of students in this age group are current users of
electronic cigarettes. Meanwhile, the percentage of those who have tried electronic cigarettes
increased from 11.7% in 2015 to 24.6% in 2019. The use of electronic cigarettes is especially
high among boys. From 15.7% in 2015, boys who have tried electronic cigarettes have more
than doubled to 35.2% in 2019 1, 3.
The chances of being addicted to smoking are high (Mayo Clinic, 2022). Young people are the
most vulnerable group to initiate use of e-cigarettes. People start smoking for different reasons.
Some think it looks cool. Others start because their family members or friend’s smoke. The
novelty of the e-cigarette, perceptions about the harmlessness of the product, a wide variety of
flavors (fruit, chocolate, peanut butter, bubble gum, gummy bear, etc.), and peer-influence are
just a few examples of factors contributing to the e-cigarette popularity among youth (Tupas,
2020). And one of the reasons why minors try cigarette because they wanted to try it out of
curiosity.
Although e-cigarettes present a safer alternative to tobacco cigarettes and may be very
effective tobacco harm reduction strategy, they also pose a potential harm to public health. The
rapid increase in adolescent e-cigarette use should prompt implementation and enforcement of
regulations to control their increasing popularity among youth.
Early experimentation with these substances is known to be associated with both immediate
and lasting problems, including abuse and dependence, which can result in profound, long-term
health, and social consequences (Gruber et ai. 2000). The health risks affect all age groups.
These behaviors have social and legal risks as well. In the Philippines, drug use is illegal and
socially unacceptable at any age and drinking and smoking is illegal and socially unacceptable
for minors.
Although drinking, smoking, and drug-use usually result in adverse health consequences,
adolescents and youth perceive certain benefits from these behaviors. Adolescents may view
drinking and smoking as privileges of adults and may want to engage in them to feel grown up
and to present themselves as adults to others. Adolescents and youths may drink and smoke to
show camaraderie with friends who have already started these behaviors, especially when the
sharing of drinks and cigarettes common and considered "cool in group settings. Such peers
may provide role models, establish substance use as normative, and create the perception that
use will increase their social acceptance and give them a feeling of "belonging to a sought-after
group. Drinking, smoking, and drug-use may be viewed as providing pleasure as well. (Choe &
Raymundo 2001)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported a trend of increasing e-
cigarette use among teens, with use rates doubling from 2011 to 2012. Minors are easily able to
purchase e-cigarettes from the Internet because of an absence of age-verification measures
used by Internet e-cigarette vendors. Federal law should require and enforce rigorous age
verification for all e-cigarette sales as with the federal PACT (Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking)
Act’s requirements for age verification in Internet cigarette sales. Minors appear to have easy
access to cigarettes via the Internet because many Internet vendors have weak or nonexistent
age verification procedures.
Law related to cigarettes and e-cigarettes
In the Philippines, Republic Act (RA) No. 9211 or the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003 regulates
the packaging, use, sale, distribution, and advertisements of tobacco products. Under this, the
use and sale of tobacco products to minors are considered unlawful. Moreover, the law also
prevents the sale and distribution of tobacco products within 100 meters of schools,
playgrounds, and other places often visited by minors. The law also prohibits smoking in public
places including schools, elevators, stairwells, hospitals, and public transportation stations,
among others.
aside from RA No. 9211, there are also other relevant policies on tobacco regulation. RA No.
10643 or the Graphic Health Warnings Law strengthens the regulation on tobacco packaging by
obligating manufacturers and importers to have graphic health warnings that detail the effects
of tobacco use and second-hand smoke on tobacco products. Meanwhile, policies aimed at
increasing the prices of tobacco products include RA No. 10351 or the Sin Tax Reform Act of
2012 which increased excise taxes on tobacco products. The law charged an excise tax of Php
30 per pack on cigarettes packed by hand. The excise tax on tobacco products was further
raised by RA No. 11346. Under this, cigarettes packed by hand will have an excise tax of Php 45
pesos per pack in 2020 and will increase by Php 5.00 each year until reaching Php 60 per pack
by 2023. Afterward, the tax rate shall be raised by 5% each year. The law also prescribed tax
rates for heated tobacco products and vapor products. More recently, RA No. 11467 further
increased taxes on alcohol, tobacco, heated tobacco, and vapor products. The law also
established the regulatory framework for heated tobacco and vapor products and designated
the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the regulatory agency for these products. Under the
law, the sale of heated tobacco and vapor products to persons under 21 years old is prohibited.
Furthermore, the law bans flavorings except for plain tobacco and plain menthol. However,
these regulatory gains are set to be overturned by the Vaporized Nicotine Products Regulation
Act, commonly known as the Vape Bill, which has been recently approved by Congress and is
awaiting transmittal to and signature of the president. If this becomes a law, the minimum age
to access heated tobacco and vapor products will be lowered to 18 years old. The regulation of
these products will also be transferred to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

Program and Prevention

Legislation banning the sale of cigarettes to minors is potentially a cost-effective means of
reducing smoking rates among adolescents.
The implemented policies can control the intake of cigarettes of youth, especially those in a
lower bracket of age. Smoking regulations at home, school, and public areas can impact youth's
smoking habits. According to Luo et al. (2015), Educational campaigns and some studies
regarding the smoking ban effectively reduce tobacco consumption. Smoking bans, according to
Anger et al. (2011), can be an effective tobacco prevention measure because they have the
potential to achieve significant health benefits in addition to limiting nonsmokers' exposure to
secondhand smoke.
The influence of tobacco control policies such as smoke-free laws, tobacco control programs,
and imposing higher taxes on cigarettes had significantly contributed to the decline of youth
smoking susceptibility, initiation, and current established smoking (Farrelly et al., 2013). On the
other hand, Palali and Ours (2019) stated that nonprice tobacco control strategies had no
substantial influence on smoking initiation, neither for females nor for males, and that one of
the reasons is that young nonsmokers may disagree with the regulations in place and hence do
not change their behavior.
Banning smoking in public places is an effective tool for reducing tobacco-related morbidity
across a multiplicity of diseases. Countries that have not already done so should introduce
legislation to enforce effective legislation that prohibits smoking in public places (Menzies, D.
2011). Public smoking bans appear to significantly reduce the risk of heart attacks, particularly
among younger individuals and nonsmokers, according to a new study published in the
September 29, 2009, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Researchers
find that smoking bans can reduce the number of heart attacks by as much as 26 percent per
year.
Restrictions on smoking at home, more extensive bans on smoking in public places, and
enforced bans on smoking at school may reduce teenage smoking (Wakefield et al., 2000)
Smoking initiation can be reduced by educating students and families on the possible adverse
health consequences of tobacco use should be part of the curriculum in schools (Harvey et al.,
2016).