The deputies heard the Head of the NA Committee for Social Issues, Truong Thi Mai, present the NA Standing Committee’s report on the draft Law on preventing the harmful effects of tobacco use, which includes five chapters and 35 articles.

A majority of deputies agreed to soon promulgate the law to control and prevent smoking, which aims to raise people’s awareness of the harmful effects of tobacco and ban cigarette advertising and smoking in public spaces.

Many deputies also proposed to establish a fund to prevent and reduce the prevalence of smoking. The Minister of Finance Vuong Dinh Hue said it was necessary to establish a fund and it should be supported by the State Budget and through taxes collected from cigarette production companies and through price increases on tobacco, which directly affects smokers.

Some deputies suggested harsher punishments for cigarette smuggling, including that smuggled cigarettes which are sized should be burned instead of being re-exported.

On the same day, NA deputies discussed a draft law against money laundering and agreed on the need to promulgate it. They said the law would also demonstrate the country’s commitments to international organisations that focus on the issue.