Taiwan - Tobacco Reporter

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.

March 23, 2023

Taiwan Set to Ban Nicotine Vapes

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.”

January 25, 2023

Taiwan Lawmakers Approve Vape Ban

Lawmakers in Taiwan approved amendments to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act that would ban e-cigarettes, raise the legal buying age for combustibles and require heated-tobacco products to comply with strict regulations, reports Taiwan News.

People caught using unauthorized vapor products or tobacco-heating devices risk fines of between TWD2,000 ($66) and TWD10,000.

Manufacturers and sellers of such products would be required to submit health risk assessment reports backed by product samples. Unauthorized tobacco manufacturers, importers and advertisers are subject to fines ranging from TWD10 million to TWD50 million, according to the amendments.

Other changes involve raising the legal smoking age from 18 to 20, increasing the proportion of tobacco package warning messages from 35 percent to 50 percent and designating childcare centers and schools as no-smoking areas.

The amendments to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act were proposed in part due to concern about the growing popularity of vaping among youth.

The share of e-cigarette users in junior high schools grew from 1.9 percent in 2018 to 3.9 percent in 2021, according to a survey by the Health Promotion Administration, while the share in senior high and vocational schools rose from 3.4 percent to 8.8 percent during the same period. Some critics blame flavors for the increase.

The clauses on e-cigarettes and heated-tobacco products are to take effect one month after the amendments’ contents are announced to the public. The clauses on vapes with additional flavors as well as regulations on packaging are to take effect one year after the amendments are announced.

The last time the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act was amended was in 2009.

January 13, 2023

Taipei: Rally Against Proposed Vaping Ban

Smoker rights groups on April 21 protested outside the legislature in Taipei against a proposal to ban e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products (HTPs), reports The Taipei Times.

The government must respect the rights of smokers, they said, adding that it should offer people choices, instead of instituting a ban.

The protest was in response to the legislature’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee considering changes to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act that would ban e-cigarettes and limit HTPs. Amendments to the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act to restrict e-cigarettes are also be considered by the Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee.

One protester said that vaping devices, HTPs and flavored cigarettes should be regulated like regular cigarettes, with taxes and age restrictions for purchase.

“HTPs and e-cigarettes should be classified as tobacco products, just like the cigarettes sold at convenience stores,” the protester was quoted as saying by The Taipei Times. “We agree that the government should impose restrictions and rules, not permit sale to minors, no advertising, no online purchase and have health warnings.”

April 22, 2022

Taiwan: Stakeholders Debate Policy Proposals

A demonstrative policy debate event on whether e-cigarettes should be regulated was held on March 8, 2022, in Taipei, showing how different public policy viewpoints can be rationally discussed, according to The Taipei Times. The debate was held by the Chinese Debate Promotion Association (CDPA) at the Taipei NGO House.

CDPA Chairman and Founder Chia Pei-te said that the Executive Yuan in January approved a draft amendment to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act proposed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare for legislative review. The proposed regulations on emerging tobacco products have sparked discussions, he said.

The amendment would classify emerging tobacco products as “tobacco-like products” and “designated tobacco products.” E-cigarettes would be classified as “tobacco-like products” and be fully banned while heated-tobacco products would be classified as “designated tobacco products” and be subject to regulation.

The reasoning behind banning e-cigarettes includes keeping curious teenagers away from the products, preventing consumers from adding nicotine to e-cigarette e-liquids and lowering the risk of teenage users turning to smoking.

The debate participants went back and forth discussing the pros and cons of regulating e-cigarettes versus banning them, bringing up subjects such as public health, tax revenue options and teenage use.

National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) College of Pharmaceutical Sciences Dean Kang Jaw-jou said that he was moved by opinions for and against e-cigarettes. He said the affirmative side proposed to directly manage e-cigarette use through regulations and an approval system while the opposing side stressed their attitude to life—banning a substance if the public consensus deems it harmful to society.

Many aspects of the topic can be argued, but e-cigarettes can cause negative health effects, and supporters and opponents must clearly present this fact to the public in further discussions, stated Wang Hsiang-tsui, NYCU Faculty of Pharmacy associate professor.

March 11, 2022

Taiwan: Bill Approved to Raise Smoking Age

The Taiwan Cabinet approved a draft amendment to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act, which would raise the legal smoking age to 20 from 18 as well as impose a ban on electronic cigarettes and flavored tobacco products, according to Focus Taiwan.

The draft amendment will now go to the legislature for deliberation.

If signed into law, those found in violation of the new age restrictions would face a fine ranging from TWD2,000 ($72) to TWD10,000.

Those found violating the ban on manufacture, import, sale, supply, display, advertising and use of all tobacco-like products, including e-cigarettes, could face a fine ranging from TWD10 million to TWD50 million.

The proposed bill would provide a legal basis for regulation of new tobacco products, such as heated-tobacco products, stating that suppliers of new tobacco products with unknown health risks should file an application for assessment of said products within a specific time period before suppliers are allowed to manufacture or import the products. Those caught violating this regulation could face a fine up to TWD50 million.

The bill goes further, expanding the smoking ban to colleges and universities, kindergartens, baby care centers and in-home childcare locations. Smoking in bars and nightclubs would only be allowed in designated areas. Graphic warnings and text would also be increased to 85 percent from 35 percent of the total package surface.

January 13, 2022

Tag: Taiwan