Tag: vaping ban

Digital Minister for Thailand Pushing for Legal Vapor Sales
Credit: Sharaf Maksumov
A growing number of government officials in Thailand are calling for vaping products to remain illegal. However, one politician is promoting legalization of less harmful nicotine products to help smokers quit combustibles.
The country’s Digital Economy and Society Minister, Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, on Friday urged Thailand’s National Tobacco Products Control Committee to revise its ban on the import and sale of e-cigarettes in the country, according to the Bangkok Post..
Chaiwut said he has petitioned the committee to revise its decision to ban e-cigarettes on March 28 because a committee set up by the ministry found that people opted for e-cigarettes because they believed them to be less harmful to their health. Despite the ban, they are illegally imported and sold online.
If the government allows the lawful import and sale of e-cigarettes, it will be able to set standards for selling and gain benefits through a tobacco tax, he said. Chaiwut claimed that the National Tobacco Products Control Committee was unlikely to have conducted the most thorough of surveys or have interviewed a broad number of proponents of electronic cigarettes.
“E-cigarettes have been accepted in many countries as being less of a health hazard than ordinary cigarettes,” he said.
Many tobacco harm reduction advocates say Thailand will eventually legalize vaping.
May 2, 2022
Hong Kong Ban on Vaping Products to Begin Today
Credit: Timothy S. Donahue
Hong Kong’s ban on the importation and sale of alternative smoking products, including vaping and heat-not-burn products, will take effect on April 30.
In a statement, the government said that, under the Smoking (Public Health) (Amendment) Ordinance 2021, people will not be allowed to use or carry an activated vaping device in no-smoking areas. Offenders will be fined HK1,500 ($191).
The ban covers electronic smoking products, heated tobacco products, herbal cigarettes, and their accessories, the government said, reports The Standard.
The ordinance prohibits the importation of any novel tobacco product by way of parcels, cargoes or bringing in by incoming travelers. People bringing such products into the city must declare them to customs.
Starting Saturday, inspectors from the Department of Health’s Tobacco & Alcohol Control Office will conduct inspections, investigate complaints and carry out enforcement actions, the government said.
The ordinance also prohibits the promotion, manufacture, and possession for commercial purposes of novel tobacco products. Those convicted of violating the law will be fined HK50,000 and imprisoned for six months.
April 30, 2022
Thailand Public Health Minister Says ‘No’ to Legalized Vaping
Credit: Natanaelginting.
Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul insisted that Thailand’s Public Health Ministry will not support legalizing electronic cigarettes in the country.
He made his remark on Monday during a meeting with board members of the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth) to discuss tobacco control.
Anutin, in his capacity as chairman of the ThaiHealth board, said he has noticed e-cigarettes trending among teenagers and some of them are aiming to have sales legalized.
To help boost e-cigarette control, Anutin said he has assigned a tobacco control panel under the Department of Disease Control (DDC) to review current regulations to determine whether they should be revised or new rules should be issued.
However, current laws can still suppress the rise of e-cigarettes, he said.
“The DDC has also been instructed to coordinate with police to come up with a solution in preventing e-cigarettes from becoming more popular in the future,” he said.
Dr Surachet Satitniramai, second deputy chairman of ThaiHealth, said that currently, many business operators are attempting to legalize the import of e-cigarettes to the country, which is a topic of concern among members of the committee.
“E-cigarettes will have a widespread effect on tobacco farmers in the country,” he said. “As the materials of e-cigarettes don’t consist of tobacco but chemical, farmers will suffer income loss.”
April 25, 2022
2 Years Post Vape Sales Ban, Walmart Testing Tobacco
Credit: Oleksandr
More than two years after banning sales of vaping products, Walmart is testing a potential ban of traditional tobacco products.
The world’s largest retailer will stop sales of tobacco products in some of its more than 5,000 stores across the United States, the company said on Monday.
Walmart did not disclose how many stores would be affected by the move, but said it would not be exiting the category entirely.
The markets in which cigarettes are being removed from stores include California, Florida and New Mexico, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news, according to Reuters.
Several Democratic U.S. senators have urged Walmart and several other retailers to stop selling all tobacco products.
March 29, 2022
Malaysia: July Intro for Post-2005-Birth Nicotine Ban Bill
A new law in Malaysia that would ban the use of all vaping and other tobacco products for those who were born after 2005, will be presented to Parliament in July, said the country’s health minister, Khairy Jamaluddin.
This means that Malaysians who are 17 years old today will not be able to legally buy tobacco, vape, or e-cigarettes next year when they turn 18, the current legal age for smoking in Malaysia, or ever, in their lifetime. Neither will subsequent generations be ever permitted to purchase cigarettes and other smoking products.
Jamaluddin said that the bill was currently being finalized by the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
Credit: Krzysztof Wiktor
“I think in one to two weeks it will be completed, and then I can present it to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health and Technology,” he told the media after the launch of the national-level community health agent, MyCHAMPION, according to Malay Mail.
Earlier, in his speech, Khairy said that the introduction of the new law related to cigarettes was one of the efforts of the Ministry of Health (MOH) in intensifying the smoking cessation campaign among Malaysians.
“We will introduce a new law so that it is a legal offence to sell cigarettes to anyone born after 2005. But I think this is the first step towards us ending smoking for a generation. It is a generational end game,” he said. “Indeed enforcement will be a challenge. Nothing to stop these young people from asking adults to buy cigarettes for them.”
The government previously announced during the tabling of Budget 2022 plans to tax vape and e-cigarette liquids containing nicotine, essentially illegalizing vape products that are presently under a grey area of regulation.
It should be noted that tabling a bill means to introduce the bill to legislature in every country but the United States, where tabling means to place an already introduced bill on hold.
March 27, 2022
Nebraska Bill Would Ban Local Vape Ordinances
A new bill introduced in Nebraska would limit localities in how they regulate electronic smoking devices under a bill heard Feb. 17 by the state senate’s Health and Human Services Committee. LB954, introduced by Omaha Sen. Justin Wayne, would prohibit counties and municipalities from adopting ordinances or resolutions regarding electronic smoking devices that are more restrictive than the provisions of the Nebraska Clean Indoor Air Act.
This would include banning certain smoking devices or flavors, according to state’s legislative website. Wayne said the bill would prevent a “patchwork” of vaping regulations across the state. “It would make it easier for the industry to provide their services to their customers,” he said.
Credit: Niro World
Sarah Linden, president of the Nebraska Vape Venders Association, testified in support of the bill. She said the Nebraska Clean Indoor Air Act allows vape shop customers to sample products, but Lincoln and Grand Island have ordinances banning indoor vaping in all circumstances.
LB954 would standardize the law across the state and enable customers to try out various products before they purchase them. “There’s nothing worse than buying something and deciding you don’t like it once you get home,” Linden said.
Dave Watts, president of the Nebraska Medical Association, spoke in opposition to the bill. He said state law should apply equally to vaping and cigarettes. “Vaping devices don’t simply emit harmless water vapor … heating the substances in the chamber of a vaping device creates an aerosol,” Watts said. “Unlike water vapor, that aerosol contains nicotine — ultra-fine particles that can worsen asthma — and toxins that are known to cause cancer.”
Maggie Ballard of Heartland Family Service also testified in opposition to LB954. She said nicotine is a “pilot light” for other addictions and that individuals with substance abuse disorders are better off without it. “Community members want to see less vaping, not more,” Ballard said.
Also in opposition was Lash Chaffin of the League of Nebraska Municipalities. He said the bill would take away a municipality’s ability to regulate vaping as it sees fit. The committee took no immediate action on LB954.
February 20, 2022
Doctor Says EVALI is Often Used in Wrong Context
E-cigarette and vaping-associated lung injury (EVALI) is a term that is coming up more often in countries like Malaysia that are just beginning the journey towards regulating next-generation tobacco products.
Dr. Kumar Subaramaniam, based in Malaysia, says he finds the increased usage of the term EVALI worrisome, as it is often discussed in the wrong context, according to the New Strait Times. Kumar said that the issue lies with certain parties, who bring up EVALI at the mention of vaping, while repeating and spreading mistruths about vaping.
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When the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified the real culprit behind the EVALI outbreak, the presence of vitamin E acetate that was added into illegal tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) products, Kumar said the CDC’s slow reaction to announcing the cause caused the mishap that left a bad reputation on vaping, which was touted to give many smokers a chance to quit smoking tobacco products for good.
“So, it was not vaping that was the problem, rather the misuse and abuse of the products. But the damage has been done and the half-baked truths surrounding EVALI live on to this day,” he says. “The EVALI saga should not be used as a ‘boogeyman’ to dissuade us from seeking to regulate vaping and adopt a ‘zero-tolerance’ attitude. In fact, the EVALI saga in the U.S. shows above all the importance of regulations.”
Kumar believes that Malaysia needs to regulate vaping for the safety of its users. Regulations will allow the authorities and consumers themselves to be sure that the e-liquids in the market meet regulatory standards.
Perhaps regulations will pave the way for a greater understanding of how vaping, which is scientifically proven to be a less harmful alternative to smoking, can help the estimated five million smokers in the country kick the habit, he says. “If we are to move forward in this country and put an end to the menace that is smoking, we need to arm ourselves with good science, facts and data,” said Kumar. “
February 19, 2022
Redwood City, Calif. Prohibits Sale of Vaping Products
At its most recent meeting, the Redwood City City Council in California unanimously passed a ban on the sale of flavored vaping and other tobacco products.
Credit: Valeriya Zankovych
The ordinance also prohibits the sale of all electronic cigarettes and electronic smoking devices, and bans all pharmacies from selling tobacco products by way of making them ineligible to obtain a tobacco retailer’s permit.
The ordinance does create an exemption for businesses holding a tobacco retailer’s permit that sell flavored tobacco for on-site hookah consumption, provided the business was operational and licensed as of Nov. 22, 2021. The rules do not allow for the exemption to be transferable or assignable to a subsequent owner of the business.
The city joins eight cities in San Mateo County and many more across the state and nation to ban flavored tobacco products over their health impacts, particularly to young consumers. Burlingame, East Palo Alto, Half Moon Bay, Menlo Park, Portola Valley, San Carlos, San Mateo, and South San Francisco have all passed similar ordinances.
On October 28, 2019, the City Council directed staff to research and draft an ordinance for consideration to ban flavored tobacco and electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), modeled after the County of San Mateo’s ordinance.
There is no exception for premium cigars in the ordinance. The ban will go into effect on April 1, 2022. Meanwhile, statewide legislation (SB 793) to ban the sale and distribution of flavored tobacco products is currently on hold pending the result of a ballot measure in the Nov. 8, 2022 election.
December 30, 2021
Navajo Tribe Bans Indoor Vaping and Smoking
The president of Navajo Nation has confirmed that vaping e-cigarettes and the use combustible tobacco products will be banned in enclosed public locations within the reservation, including at the tribe’s four casinos. Jonathan Nez, president of the largest Native American Reservation in the United States, signed the legislation on Saturday.
Jonathan Nez, Credit: Navajo Nation
The permanent enactment yesterday “is a fundamental right to protect our Navajo people’s right to breathe clean air,” Nez said in a statement. Tobacco use in the tribe’s private homes or for ceremonial purposes will still be allowed, as long as they don’t function as childcare centers, adult care centers, or as business offices, ABC News reported.
Tribal lawmakers approved the bill in October that prohibits the use of cigarettes, chewing tobacco, electronic cigarettes and other commercial products in public buildings and workspaces, including a 25-foot (7.6-meter) buffer outdoors. Comments submitted to the Navajo Nation Council on the measure overwhelmingly supported it. A few cited the potential of lost revenue for the tribal gambling enterprise that unsuccessfully sought to carve out an exemption from the ban.
Smoking had been prohibited at the tribe’s four casinos — three in New Mexico and one east of Flagstaff — under COVID-19 safety measures, but it wasn’t permanent until Nez signed the legislation Saturday. The Tribal Council approved a ban on smoking and chewing tobacco in public places in 2008, but then-President Joe Shirley Jr. vetoed it, partially because he was concerned about gambling revenue. An override effort fell short of the votes it needed.
November 8, 2021
Hong Kong Bans E-cigs, Allows for Personal Use
Hong Kong has banned the sale of e-cigarettes and other heated tobacco products but personal use is still allowed. The ban will come into effect as soon as mid-2022, Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee said. The maximum penalty for offenders will be a HK$50,000 fine and six-month imprisonment.
Lawmakers passed the bill banning the import, sale and manufacture of electronic nicotine-delivery systems (ENDS) but some legislators say bill goes too far in targeting the business of vaping, will hurt the import sector and will deny a potential area for innovation.
Credit: TS Donahue
The long-delayed Smoking (Public Health) (Amendment) Bill 2019 passed Thursday, “delivering a major victory for health activists and educators who have blamed the devices for encouraging smoking among young people,” according to the South China Morning Post.
While the new law targets only vape shops and the local business of vaping, consumers will still be free to use the devices, prompting some politicians to call for more aggressive measures to curb tobacco use, including banning smoking in all public places except for designated areas. Others, however, argued Hong Kong should allow reshipment of vaping products and warned the ban would hurt logistics companies.
The bill was approved by a vote of 32 to three in the Legislative Council. Two lawmakers abstained.
October 21, 2021