Hong Kong announces blanket ban of e-cigarettes

Hong Kong announces blanket ban of e-cigarettes

/ 04:38 PM June 06, 2024

Hong Kong announces blanket ban of e-cigarettes

A vendor (C) waits for customers at her tobacco street stall as commuters drive past in Hong Kong on March 23, 2021. FILE PHOTO/Agence France-Presse

HONG KONG — Hong Kong announced plans on Thursday for a blanket ban on e-cigarettes, citing a “consensus” on the need for action and their impact on the health of young people.

The move came about two years after the Chinese city banned the import, manufacture and sale of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.

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“We will fully ban all alternative smoking products,” Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau said at a news conference, using the government term for products such as e-cigarettes.

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Hong Kong already bans possession of e-cigarettes “for commercial purposes” and Thursday’s proposal would extend the ban to retail buyers, even if they intended to smoke in private.

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Under existing laws, anyone in Hong Kong who imports e-cigarettes can be punished by up to seven years in jail and a fine of HK$2 million ($256,000), while sellers and manufacturers can be jailed for up to six months.

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“A blanket ban on alternative smoking products has become a consensus in society… It is time to ban all forms of possession of alternative smoking products, including for personal use,” said Deputy Secretary for Health Eddie Lee.

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READ: WHO urges gov’t to regulate sale of e-cigarettes

City officials also announced other smoking curbs on Thursday, including a ban on smoking while queueing in outdoor public areas and sharing cigarettes with minors.

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The government also proposed banning flavoured tobacco, which officials said survey results showed particularly appealed to women and young people.

Lo said he hoped the e-cigarette ban and other proposals would be introduced to the legislature this year.

The World Health Organization reported last year that 34 countries have banned the sale of e-cigarettes, while 87 have full or partial regulation.

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Hong Kong authorities hope to reduce the smoking prevalence rate to 7.8 percent by next year, down from 9.1 percent in 2023.

TAGS: E-Cigarettes, Hong Kong

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