引言：南非的电子烟行业要求区别对待于烟草业，在新冠COVID-19 3级封锁期间，允许电子烟产品线上销售与配送。

3月27日，南非当局禁止销售香烟，这是当前新冠COVID-19封锁的一部分。随后，随着封锁政策的放宽， 4月宣布将允许从5月1日起恢复香烟销售，但是之后此决定又被重新考虑。

然而，3月宣布的禁止烟草产品和酒精销售的禁令，其中也包括了其他更安全的替代品，如电子烟和鼻烟。自然，这激怒了许多人。南非蒸气产品协会（VPASA）首席执行官Asanda Gcoyi重申，以相同方式处理香烟和其安全替代品会带来严重后果。

“电子烟不是在抽烟，那是两回事。电子烟和香烟中都含有尼古丁，但是尼古丁不是罪魁祸首，焦油才是。”她说。

“世界协会在努力减少烟草危害，”诸如英国公共卫生组织等，“南非也是其中一分子，所以让我们感到困惑的是，我们明明都知道，却还在选择假装我们不了解科学，假装不了解电子烟的危害较小这个事实。”

电子烟产品应被允许线上销售与配送

南非蒸气产品协会（VPASA）敦促政府允许在3级封锁期间在线销售与配送电子烟产品。除了健康原因之外，还需要考虑经济影响。她说：“在南非电子烟行业，有大约5000个直接工作岗位面临失业危机， 大约400-500个小型企业，由于无法出售，处于濒临破产的边缘。”

与国际卫生专家持一致看法，Gcoyi也表达了对黑市的担忧，她补充到，“我的另一个担忧是非法市场。民众正在从一无所知的商店购买电子烟油，我们听说spaza商店有售。也有人说民众在家里混合烟油，这是非常危险的，因为他们只是在混合各种来历不明的东西，而且环境卫生也不达标。”

SA’s E-Cig Industry Demands Disassociation From Tobacco Sector

The vaping industry in South Africa is demanding to be treated differently than the tobacco industry and allowed to sell its products online and by delivery during the level 3 COVID-19 lockdown.

On the 27th of March, South African authorities banned the sales of cigarettes as part of the current COVID-19 lockdown. Subsequently as restrictions were starting to be eased, in April it was announced that cigarette sales would be allowed to resume as of May 1st, however this decision was reconsidered at a later date.

The bans on tobacco products and alcohol sales announced in March, sadly included safer alternatives such as e-cigarettes and snus. Naturally this had many angered. Vapour Products Association of South Africa (VPASA) chief executive Asanda Gcoyi reiterated that treating cigarettes and safer alternatives in the same manner poses a significant problem.

“Vaping is not smoking, those are two different things. Both vaping and cigarettes contain nicotine, but nicotine is not what kills people in smoking, people die because of the tar,” she said.

“There are world associations that are pushing for tobacco harm reduction,” she said referring to entities such as Public Health England, “.. and South Africa is one of those countries, so it baffles us that we know what we know, yet we’re choosing to pretend that we don’t know the science and that vaping is less harmful,” she added.

Vaping products should be allowed online and by delivery

The VPASA is urging the government to allow vapour products to be purchased online and by delivery during lockdown level 3. She added that besides health reasons, the economic impact needs to be considered aswell. “We’ve got about 5000 direct jobs that are at risk and we’ve about 400-500 small businesses across South Africa, and a lot are on the brink of bankruptcy because they can’t sell,” she said.

In line with arguments by international health experts, Gcoyi added that another concern is vapers going back to smoking or purchasing vape products on the black market. “My other concern is the illicit market. People are buying vape juice from shops we know nothing about, we hear it’s available at spaza shops, stories that people are mixing juices at home, which is extremely dangerous, because they are just mixing things and the environment is not right.”