Laos plans to amend and supplement certain provisions of the law on drug prevention and control, with e-cigarettes to be included in the list of substances and precursors classified as addictive.

Speaking at the sixth ordinary session of the National Assembly's ninth legislature, which concluded on Nov. 21, Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Security Vilay Lakhamfong stressed that e-cigarettes, one of the emerging issues of social concerns, are yet to be listed as prohibited substances in Laos. Therefore, in the near future, they will be added to the list of products containing banned addictive substances and precursors.

According to the Lao Ministry of Health report in October, tobacco-related diseases were the leading cause of death in the country in 2019, accounting for about 65 percent. It is estimated that tobacco causes hundreds of thousands of chronic diseases and claims the lives of 6,700 people annually.

The rate of Lao youth using tobacco, especially e-cigarettes, is increasing and becoming more prevalent. Therefore, the ministry is concerned that without timely restrictive measures, the nation will soon face a new wave of e-cigarette addiction, which is equally harmful to traditional tobacco, according to the report.

Laos has made significant progress on tobacco control over the past decade, particularly in restricting tobacco advertising and e-cigarette availability and maintaining smoke-free spaces, according to the latest report issued by the World Health Organization in September.