Photo Release

December 16, 2021

Giving vape a chance: Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon clarifies that his critical “yes” vote in favor of Senate Bill No (SBN) 2239 or an Act Regulating the Importation, Manufacture, Sale, Packaging, Distribution, Use, and Communication of Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products, does not mean that he is changing his stand on cigarette smoking and maintains that he is an anti-smoking advocate. Drilon explained that he voted yes in the hope that he could help bring down further the prevalence of smoking in the country by helping those who want to quit smoking to turn to vapes and E-cigarettes as cessation aids. “If vaporized nicotine products can help millions quit cigarette smoking, then I am willing to give it a chance. In the last two decades or so, we have used compulsion and coercion as our main weapon against cigarette smoking, perhaps it is time to use persuasion. But my personal vision and mission stand, let us eradicate cigarette smoking,” Drilon said during the hybrid plenary session Thursday, December 16, 2021. (Screen grab/Senate PRIB)

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