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Tag: vape ban

  • Malaysia to Enforce Tobacco Display Ban This Week

    Malaysia to Enforce Tobacco Display Ban This Week

    Restaurants and retail outlets across Klang Valley, Malaysia, are racing to comply with the upcoming tobacco display ban that takes effect October 1 under the Control of Public Health (Control of Sale) Regulations 2024. Operators have been covering cigarette shelves with shutters, tinted glass, and steel panels, while some businesses have chosen to stop selling tobacco products altogether.

    Industry associations say most members are on track, though challenges remain for smaller operators. “Some smaller operators may face challenges in terms of space and storage, but overall, members are aware that enforcement begins October 1, and are preparing accordingly,” said Datuk Jawahar Ali Taib Khan, president of the Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Owners’ Association, which represents about 3,500 operators. The Petaling Jaya Coffeeshop Association added that shutters supplied by tobacco companies helped speed compliance, though design preferences vary.

    While operators brace for the ban, some anticipate a dip in cigarette sales and call for clearer guidelines and enforcement against illicit products. “Hopefully, the government will conduct frequent inspections to prevent the sale of illegal cigarettes as well,” Jawahar said. More than 51,000 shops nationwide will be affected by the new ruling.

  • U.K. Vape Industry Warns ‘Pride in Place’ Plan Could Backfire

    U.K. Vape Industry Warns ‘Pride in Place’ Plan Could Backfire

    The U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) has branded Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s new Pride in Place program “seriously flawed,” warning it risks driving ex-smokers back to cigarettes and fueling the illicit vape trade. The plan would allow residents to block new vape shops on their high streets. UKVIA Director General John Dunne said this wrongly equates specialist vape stores with betting shops and other “unwanted” outlets, despite vaping being “the most effective method of helping adult smokers quit.”

    Instead, UKVIA is urging the government to introduce a compulsory vape retail licensing scheme, funded by retailers, to keep vapes out of unsuitable venues and support tougher enforcement against rogue sellers. Dunne argued that blocking legitimate vape stores undermines the U.K.’s smoke-free targets and risks strengthening the black market.

  • Belgium Smoking/Vaping Ban Starts in 2027, Smoking Rooms Closed

    Belgium Smoking/Vaping Ban Starts in 2027, Smoking Rooms Closed

    Belgium’s federal government confirmed that smoking and vaping will be banned on and near terraces, as well as in all public smoking rooms, starting January 1, 2027. The move, approved by the Council of Ministers on September 12, extends existing smoking restrictions to outdoor hospitality spaces such as café and restaurant terraces, while also eliminating smoking rooms in bars, airports, cigar clubs, and shisha bars. The government delayed the rollout by one year from the original 2026 target to give businesses time to adapt.

    The hospitality sector, which had resisted the measure, will now be responsible for enforcing the ban with clear signage and by actively intervening if customers smoke or vape. Establishments risk penalties for insufficient signage, ignoring violations, or even placing items that could encourage smoking, such as ashtrays.

  • Hong Kong Bill Bans Vapes, Heated Products, Flavored Cigarettes

    Hong Kong Bill Bans Vapes, Heated Products, Flavored Cigarettes

    Hong Kong’s Legislative Council approved sweeping new tobacco control measures aimed at further cutting smoking rates in the city. The Tobacco Control Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2025, passed today (September 11) with 74 votes in favor (versus one against and seven abstentions) bans possession of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, extends non-smoking areas, prohibits sales to minors, and outlaws flavored cigarettes except menthol.

    Lawmakers largely supported the bill, with several highlighting the need to shield young people from targeted marketing of flavored products. Hong Kong’s smoking rate currently stands at 9.1%, as officials hope to eventually bring it below 5%.

  • Spain Proposes Outdoor Smoking and Vape Ban

    Spain Proposes Outdoor Smoking and Vape Ban

    Today (September 9), Spain’s minority leftist government unveiled a bill that would ban smoking and vaping in outdoor spaces, including beaches, bar and restaurant terraces, bus stops, and stadiums, according to Reuters. Health Minister Monica García said the move puts “public health ahead of private interests,” stressing that everyone has the right to breathe clean air.

    The proposal, which mirrors recent restrictions in France but goes further by including e-cigarettes, still needs parliamentary approval. The hospitality sector has criticized the plan, noting that Spain’s outdoor terraces are central to its dining culture and widely used by smokers. Smoking indoors has been banned since 2011.

  • Texas Ban on Disposable Vapes Takes Effect

    Texas Ban on Disposable Vapes Takes Effect

    Texas outlawed nearly all disposable e-cigarettes under Senate Bill 2024, which took effect on September 1. The law bans the sale, marketing and advertising of vape products that could appeal to minors, including those without nicotine, and specifically targets devices manufactured in China. Refillable vape devices made in the U.S. remain legal.

    Retailer Edgar Ramirez, owner of Smokeex in Killeen, told KWTX reporters the move is devastating. Ramirez said disposable vapes accounted for the majority of his sales, but now his shelves and cabinets sit empty, with more than $4,000 of unsellable inventory in storage. “None of them are made in America at all,” he noted, adding that distributors cannot source compliant products.

    Violators of the new law face a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine. Retailers say the ban leaves them few options as consumers shift away from cigarettes and traditional tobacco.

  • Putin Backs Regional Vape Bans in Russia

    Putin Backs Regional Vape Bans in Russia

    Russian President Vladimir Putin has endorsed a proposal to give regions the authority to ban the sale of vapes, following concerns over rising youth use. At a meeting in Sarov, Nizhny Novgorod Governor Gleb Nikitin suggested his region could serve as a pilot area for the ban. Putin called it a “good proposal” and signaled immediate support.

    The move comes a day after the government expanded its mandatory labeling experiment to cover e-cigarettes and heated tobacco devices, tightening controls on the sector.

  • UKVIA Says Disposable Ban Driving Smokers Back to Tobacco

    UKVIA Says Disposable Ban Driving Smokers Back to Tobacco

    The UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) says new research confirms fears that the UK’s ban on single-use vapes is backfiring, with 26% of former disposable vape users now smoking more, returning to tobacco, or buying illicit products. A survey of 6,000 vapers and smokers, commissioned by ELFBAR, also found that over half of adults (51%) wrongly believe vaping is as harmful as smoking, and awareness of illegal vapes has risen to 22%.

    UKVIA Director General John Dunne called the figures “deeply worrying,” warning that a blanket ban on disposables undermines efforts to achieve a smoke-free UK. The trade body is urging the government to launch a nationwide public health campaign on vaping’s relative safety, introduce a licensing scheme for vape retailers, reinvest licensing revenue into enforcement, and impose £10,000 fines on those selling to minors or trading illicit products.

    “It never made any sense to us to ban this entire category, and now we have concrete evidence that more than a quarter of vapers have either resumed smoking, increased tobacco use, or purchased illicit products since the ban,” Dunne said. “Any one of those outcomes would be bad enough, but all three combined should be deeply worrying and urgent action must be taken to reverse this trend. If these are the numbers we are seeing after two months, then I dread to think where we will be in a year’s time.”

  • Malaysia Moving Toward Vape Ban

    Malaysia Moving Toward Vape Ban

    Malaysian Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said he will present an expert committee’s recommendation to ban electronic cigarettes and vape to the Cabinet once its study is complete. He said the move is “no longer a matter of if” and follows the enforcement of the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024, which has cut the number of smoking product variants in the market by nearly 60%.

    “With strict enforcement, I am confident we can effectively regulate cigarette and vape sales,” Dzulkefly said. “Most importantly, we must protect non-adults, students, and our children from exposure to vape. The Act will be enforced firmly to regulate all smoking products, including vape, for public health.”

  • Nepal Court Lifts Ban on E-Cigarettes

    Nepal Court Lifts Ban on E-Cigarettes

    The Patan High Court in Nepal ordered the government to lift its restrictions on the import and sale of e-cigarettes, allowing vape businesses to resume operations. According to myRepublica, a Division Bench of Justices Kabi Prasad Neupane and Hemant Rawal issued the verdict in favor of Vape Mandu Traders, who filed a writ against several government bodies, including the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Health, and the Customs Department.

    The court ruled that the government’s attempt to enforce a vape ban, based on a 2015 tobacco directive, was not legally sufficient to justify blocking trade. Customs offices halted vape imports after circulars were issued by the Ministry of Health’s education and communication wing.

    In the last fiscal year, Nepal collected over Rs 230 million ($1.7 million) in customs revenue from vape imports, highlighting the sector’s economic footprint.