Son Eon-seok, a member of the People's Power Party and chairman of the National Assembly's Planning and Finance Committee, is the lead sponsor of a bill to amend the Tobacco Business Act, which would include a complete ban on the advertising, import, manufacture, and sale of drug-flavored cigarettes.
The government announced on the 22nd that it has taken measures to recommend that the Food Labeling and Advertising Act, which was revised this year, be prohibited from displaying or advertising narcotics and similar products, such as narcotic seaweed rolls and narcotic corn.
However, the law is limited to "food" and does not include tobacco. For this reason, the electronic cigarette market is dominated by liquids containing cannabis flavoring, which is classified as a narcotic drug.
Electronic cigarettes are being distributed online and offline without any restrictions. Currently, one online site is selling cannabis-flavored liquid, advertising that it has "perfectly embodied the cannabis flavor in collaboration with an American company."
In order to eliminate such a blind spot in tobacco regulations, Chairman Song said that the Tobacco Business Act should include provisions banning not only the advertising of cannabis-flavored tobacco, but also its manufacture, import, and sale.
According to the proposed bill, those who manufacture, import, or sell cigarettes labeled with drug-related phrases will be punished with imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of up to 30 million won.
"Cigarettes flavored with narcotics can stimulate curiosity about drugs and incite drug-related crimes, which could make the drug problem even worse," said Song.
"We need to pass the bill quickly to completely ban the distribution of drug-flavored tobacco and increase societal vigilance against drugs," he said.
2024/09/22 14:07 KST
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