Tag: Taiwan

  • Taiwan Worried About ‘Zombie Vapes’

    Taiwan Worried About ‘Zombie Vapes’

    Image: Pavelkant

    Taiwan authorities are concerned about the growing popularity of “zombie vapes,” e-cigarettes containing etomidate, reports The Taipei Times.

    According to health experts, etomidate is a type of central nervous system depressant that can induce anesthesia. Abusing etomidate could lead to irritability, disorganized behavior, tremors, twitching or even death, explained Lin Yi-ching, a pediatrician at Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital.

    From July to October, authorities seized 14,128 zombie vape cartridges, along with e-liquid and powders that could be made into more than 1.83 million cartridges worth about NTD4.6 billion ($143.33 million).

    While etomidate is listed as a Category 3 narcotic, a review committee will consider whether to upgrade the drug to Category 2, Ministry of Justice Department of Prosecutorial Affairs Director-General Kuo Yung-fa said.

    Overall e-cigarette use among junior high school students in Taiwan increased from 1.9 percent in 2017 to 3.9 percent in 2021, a HPA survey reported by Taiwan News showed. Among senior high school students, the rate rose from 3.4 percent to 8.8 percent during the same period.

    Taiwan outlawed vapes in 2023, with violators risking fines of up to NTD10,000.

  • Taiwan Mulls Ban on Flavor Chemicals

    Taiwan Mulls Ban on Flavor Chemicals

    Photo: Hertz Flavors

    The Ministry of Health and Welfare wants to ban 27 types of chemicals from being used in tobacco products, vapes and heat-not-burn devices, reports The Taipei Times.

    The list includes vanillin, maltol and heliotropin among other chemical compounds commonly used as additives in flavored tobacco products. Without these substances, manufacturers would be unable to produce popular flavors such as caramel, butter, almond, rose, coconut, raspberry, vanilla and cheese,

    The new proposal would enable the ministry to remove more than half of flavored tobacco products from the market, according  to Lo Su-ying, who heads the Health Promotion Agency’s Tobacco Control Division.

    Under the draft rule, manufacturers and importers of products containing the banned substances would risk fines of between NTD1 million ($30,846) and NTD5 million, while sellers would incur penalties of between NTD10,000 and NTD50,000.

     The government will subject the proposal to a 60-day public consultation.

  • Taiwan: No ENDS Approved Yet

    Taiwan: No ENDS Approved Yet

    Image: tang90246

    Taiwan’s Health Promotion Administration (HPA) has reminded suppliers and consumers that it has not approved any e-cigarettes or heated-tobacco products (HTPs), reports Taipei Times.

    The warning came after security footage showed a lawmaker using an HTP in the legislature’s corridors.

    Novel tobacco and nicotine products require government approval in Taiwan. To date, the HPA has received applications for authorization for HTPs from 12 companies. It has rejected the applications of eight while two of the remaining four have been asked to furnish additional information.

    The HPA has a panel of toxicology, public health and addiction experts to assess requests for authorized use of HTPs. The panel has so far convened 30 meetings.

    Taiwanese law punishes the manufacture, import, sale, supply, display or advertisement of unauthorized novel tobacco products by a maximum penalty of TWD5 million ($152,263) while users may be fined TWD10,000.

  • Taiwan Group Protests THP Regulations

    Taiwan Group Protests THP Regulations

    Image: butenkow

    The Clean Air Alliance has called on the Taiwanese public to join a protest in front of the Presidential Office Building in Taipei March 22, 2024, against heated tobacco regulations that  benefit traditional cigarette manufacturers, reports The Taipei Times.

    The group states that though its been a year since the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act was amended, heated-tobacco products cannot be sold legally but 14 new types of traditional paper-wrapped cigarettes have been approved for sale.

    The alliance noted that the review standards for heated-tobacco products and traditional cigarettes are disparate and unfair toward heated-tobacco products, which benefits cigarette manufacturers.

    Police have put traffic restrictions in place in the area due to the protest.

    The protest is set to begin at 9 a.m. and end by noon.

  • Taiwan to Increase Size of Health Warnings

    Taiwan to Increase Size of Health Warnings

    Image: Andrii

    In Taiwan, graphic health warnings will soon have to cover at least 50 percent of cigarette packages, an increase from the current requirement of 35 percent, according to the Health Promotion Administration (HPA), reports Focus Taiwan.

    The new rules take effect Friday, March 22, 2024, following the expiration of a one-year transition period.

    Manufacturers caught violating the rules will face fines up to NTD5 million ($156,629), and those caught selling improperly labeled products will face fines up to NTD50,000.

    According to HPA Director General Wu Chao-chun, 122 countries and territories require graphic health warnings covering at least half of packaging, exceeding the World Health Organization recommendation of at least 30 percent.

    The HPA has sent officials around Taiwan to promote the upcoming policy, making sure that those affected are aware of the changes, according to Lo Su-ying, head of the HPA’s Tobacco Control Division.

  • Taiwan Warnings to Cover Half of Pack

    Taiwan Warnings to Cover Half of Pack

    Photo: sharafmaksumov

    Beginning March 22, 2024, health warnings on cigarette packages in Taiwan must cover at least 50 percent of the packaging, up from 35 percent, according to the Taipei Times.

    The Health Promotion Administration cited the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Article 11, saying the article requires all contracting partier to ensure tobacco product packaging carries health warnings describing the harmful effects of tobacco use.

    According to a 2024 Canadian Cancer Society report, 127 countries and territories require warnings to cover 50 percent or more of the packaging.

    Those caught not following the health warning rule face fines of TWD10,000 ($319.23) to TWD50,000.

  • Taiwan Worried About Popularity of Flavors

    Taiwan Worried About Popularity of Flavors

    Photo: zoommer

    Health authorities in Taiwan are worried about the growing popularity of flavored tobacco products, especially among young students and women, reports Taiwan News.

    In a 2022 survey, 18.2 percent of those aged 18 and older who smoke reported using flavored tobacco products, up from the 15.6 percent recorded in 2020. Female respondents exhibited a higher usage rate, with 43.8 percent showing an interest in these products, compared to 14.3 percent reported among males, according to the Health Promotion Administration (HPA).

    Data from 2021 revealed that 40 percent of adolescent smokers in Taiwan were using flavored tobacco products. Among, junior high and senior high school female students the usage rates were 57.2 percent and 60.7 percent, respectively, surpassing their male counterparts.

     The HPA emphasizes that flavored tobacco products are as harmful to health as nonflavored varieties, adding that young smokers are at an increased risk of developing addictions to other substances.

    Lawmakers have initiated a public consultation on plans to ban specific fragrances, such as chocolate and mint.

     

  • Taiwan Mulls Cigarette Tax Hike

    Taiwan Mulls Cigarette Tax Hike

    Photo: Taco Tuinstra

    The government of Taiwan is considering raising cigarette taxes next year, reports the Taipei Times, citing the Health Promotion Administration (HPA)

    Regulations require an expert committee to deliberate the tobacco tax every other year. During its most recent gathering, last year, the committee decided to leave tobacco taxes unaltered due the Covid-19 pandemic.

    HPA Director-General Wu Chao-chun told the Central News Agency that “controlling consumption through cost” is a successful tactic for smoking prevention, and vowed to continue promoting other methods, such as labeling and banning smoking in more areas.

    Smoking declined significantly after Taiwan raised the tobacco tax in 2009 and 2017, according to Lee Yue-chune, a professor of public health at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University.

    Last year, a pack of cigarettes cost TWD116 (US$3.71) on average, with taxes accounting for 53 percent, below the WHO recommended minimum of 75 percent, she said.

    Taiwan spends an estimated TWD80 billion annually on treating smoking-related diseases, Lee said, recommending that the government set a target for the tobacco tax as a percentage of cigarette cost.

  • Vaping Ban Begins in Taiwan

    Vaping Ban Begins in Taiwan

    The National Police Agency confirmed to Taiwan News that police can now issue on-the-spot fines of up to TWD10,000 ($330) to those caught vaping after Taiwan’s legislature passed amendments to Taiwan’s Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act.

    E-cigarette users can either be fined on the spot, or photo and video evidence can be used by the government to send the fines to violators’ registered addresses, similar to fines currently issued for smoking in nonsmoking areas, jaywalking and other minor offenses.

    The fine for vaping is now the same as for smoking in areas designated as nonsmoking, between TWD2,000 and TWD10,000.

    The amendments also increase the legal age for purchasing cigarettes from 18 to 20 and prohibit the sale of e-cigarettes and heated-tobacco products. Importers, manufacturers and sellers can now be fined up to TWD50 million.

  • Taiwan Set to Ban Nicotine Vapes

    Taiwan Set to Ban Nicotine Vapes

    Image: Tobacco Reporter archive

    Taiwan is set to become the next Asian country to ban nicotine vaping products, reports Filter.

    The Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act cleared the legislative floor earlier this month and now awaits presidential approval, which is expected because President Tsai Ing-wen is a member of the party that proposed the act.

    Taiwan seems to be following behind Japan, which banned nicotine vapes but allows heated-tobacco products. India and Thailand have also banned vapes.

    Taiwan’s ban will include use of e-cigarettes, and violators will face penalties of up to $330.

    “The issue did not have enough public discussion, and the approach to harm reduction should be more thoroughly debated,” said Simon Lee, the Taiwan policy fellow at the Consumer Choice Center, a global consumer advocacy group in Washington. “For instance, we have seen misinformation, especially with regard to nicotine, circulating among anti-tobacco activists. It is beyond reasonable doubt that Taiwan’s consumers deserve a much better outcome.”