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Tag: vape ban

  • Alabama Bill Would Extend Indoor Smoking Ban to Vaping

    Alabama Bill Would Extend Indoor Smoking Ban to Vaping

    Alabama’s Senate Bill 9 would update the state’s indoor air quality laws by treating e-cigarettes and other vaping devices the same as traditional tobacco smoking in indoor public places. Sponsored by Sen. Gerald Allen (R), the bill is set for review by the Healthcare Committee and would rename the Alabama Clean Indoor Air Act in honor of civil rights attorney and public health advocate Vivian Davis Figures.

    The legislation expands the definition of “smoking” to include vaping, banning e-cigarette use in the same indoor locations where smoking is already prohibited, including workplaces, restaurants, government buildings, schools, hospitals, retail spaces, airports, and public transport. SB9 does not add new penalties or enforcement powers, but applies existing rules to vaping, requiring businesses to update signage and policies while leaving sales, flavors, age limits, and outdoor use unchanged.

  • Bangladesh Bans Vapes, Tightens Tobacco Laws

    Bangladesh Bans Vapes, Tightens Tobacco Laws

    Bangladesh’s interim government issued an ordinance banning e-cigarettes and other emerging tobacco products, significantly tightening the country’s tobacco control regime. The Smoking and Tobacco Products Use (Control) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, promulgated on December 31, expands the definition of tobacco to include electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and nicotine pouches, bringing them under a single legal framework. Smoking and the use of all tobacco products are now prohibited in all public places and on public transport, with fines raised to a maximum of Tk 2,000 ($16.40).

    The ordinance makes the production, import, export, storage, sale, and use of e-cigarettes and similar products criminal offences, punishable by up to six months’ imprisonment, fines of up to Tk 500,000 ($4,100), or both. It also introduces a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship across all media, prohibits tobacco displays at points of sale, and bans sales within 100 meters of schools, hospitals and playgrounds. Packaging rules have been tightened to require health warnings covering at least 75% of packs, while enforcement powers have been strengthened to allow license cancellations, seizures, and criminal prosecutions.

  • Vietnam Ups Penalties for Vape, HTP Use

    Vietnam Ups Penalties for Vape, HTP Use

    Vietnam tightened restrictions on electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products under the newly issued Decree 371, introducing higher fines and expanded enforcement powers. Individuals caught using e-cigarettes or heated tobacco products now face fines of VNĐ3 million to VNĐ5 million ($114 to $190), with authorities authorized to confiscate and destroy the products.


    The rules also penalize those who allow such use on premises they own or manage. Individuals providing space for e-cigarette or heated tobacco use can be fined VNĐ5 million to VNĐ10 million ($190 to $380), while organizations face penalties of up to VNĐ20 million ($761). Officials said the measures aim to strengthen oversight as alternative tobacco products spread rapidly, particularly among young people.

  • Belgium Releases Numbers for Disposable Vape Crackdown

    Belgium Releases Numbers for Disposable Vape Crackdown

    Belgium’s Federal Public Health Service seized more than 140,000 illegal disposable e-cigarettes in 2025, following a nationwide ban on the sale of disposable vapes that took effect on January 1. Authorities said the seizures reflect a “significant amount” of non-compliant products still circulating on the market.

    Inspectors carried out nearly 2,400 checks across shops, petrol stations, supermarkets, and online retailers, finding illegal vapes in 680 cases. Nearly 600 official reports have been filed, and 18 shops have been temporarily closed. Brussels recorded the highest violation rate, with almost 60% of inspections uncovering illegal sales, while in Flanders, around one in five shops checked was non-compliant. Fines for selling disposable vapes can reach €120,000, though penalties typically range between €800 and €1,000.

  • Azerbaijan Bans E-Cigarettes

    Azerbaijan Bans E-Cigarettes

    Azerbaijan’s parliament approved a comprehensive ban on electronic cigarettes, outlawing their import, export, production, storage, wholesale and retail sale, and use. The legislation, passed in its final reading, amends the country’s “Law On Tobacco and Tobacco Products” and classifies nicotine-containing e-cigarettes as tobacco products, according to local media reports. The law is set to take effect on April 1, 2026.

    The law defines electronic cigarettes broadly as devices that deliver vapor, with or without nicotine, via cartridges or refillable containers, while explicitly excluding heated tobacco products. Lawmakers said the updated definitions are intended to clearly distinguish between e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products in legal and regulatory practice.

    Related amendments will be made to the Tax Code and the Law on Advertising, removing disposable e-cigarettes and e-liquids from the list of excisable goods, cancelling existing tax rates, and aligning advertising restrictions with the new product classifications.

  • Korea Tightening Vape Regulations in 2026

    Korea Tightening Vape Regulations in 2026

    South Korea will classify synthetic nicotine e-cigarettes as tobacco under a revised Tobacco Business Act that takes effect on April 24, 2026, marking the first change to the legal definition of tobacco since 1988. The amendment closes a regulatory loophole that previously excluded synthetic nicotine products, bringing them under existing tobacco controls following government studies that found such products contain carcinogens and other harmful substances.

    Under the new framework, synthetic nicotine e-cigarettes will be subject to mandatory health warning images and text on packaging, stricter advertising rules, and use bans in smoke-free areas such as schools, hospitals, and government buildings. Flavor-based marketing aimed at young people will be prohibited, and online sales, social media promotion, external store displays, and sponsorships will be banned. Sales will be limited to designated tobacco retail outlets.

    Additional measures include tighter controls on vending machines, requiring adult verification systems, and banning machines in educational protection zones from February 2026. Health authorities said compliance monitoring manuals are already in place for manufacturers and importers.

  • Kyrgyzstan Bans Vape Imports

    Kyrgyzstan Bans Vape Imports

    The Kyrgyz Cabinet of Ministers approved a six-month temporary ban on the import of electronic cigarettes and their cartridges, according to a new government decree. The restriction will take effect 15 days after its official publication and is aimed at curbing nicotine addiction and reducing the growing use of e-cigarettes, particularly among young people. Authorities said the rapid spread of electronic cigarettes among youth in recent years has raised serious public health concerns, prompting the move to limit the uncontrolled entry of these products into the country.

    The decision aligns Kyrgyzstan with a broader regional trend, as Kazakhstan imposed a full ban on the sale and advertising of e-cigarettes in June 2024, while Uzbekistan introduced restrictions on their distribution starting in November 2025.

  • Ireland Moving Toward Single-Use Vape Ban

    Ireland Moving Toward Single-Use Vape Ban

    Ireland’s Minister for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, Jennifer Murnane O’Connor, on behalf of the Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, will today (December 17) begin the passage of the Public Health (Single-Use Vapes) Bill 2025 through the Oireachtas. The Bill, introduced at Second Stage in Dáil Éireann, proposes a ban on the sale of single-use vapes. The measure aims to reduce smoking and vaping rates and to prevent children and young people from starting to use nicotine.

    The Government has highlighted the rapid growth of single-use vapes in Ireland, rising youth vaping rates, and concerns that their low cost, ease of use, and appealing designs target young people. The legislation also addresses environmental impacts, citing the waste and damage caused by disposable vaping products. O’Connor described the legislation as a preventative step to curb nicotine addiction among young people and prevent long-term dependence.

  • Tajikistan Moving Toward Vape Ban

    Tajikistan Moving Toward Vape Ban

    Tajikistan is preparing legislation to fully ban the use, production, and distribution of electronic cigarettes, following a directive issued today (December 15) by Majlisi Milli Speaker Rustam Emomali. The move is aimed at “protecting public health, particularly young people,” amid concerns over respiratory, cardiovascular and cancer risks linked to vape use.

    The proposed ban would align Tajikistan with neighboring Central Asian countries, where vapes are already prohibited. Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan have all introduced full bans in recent years, backed by fines and, in some cases, criminal penalties.

  • Vietnam to Ban Vape, HTP Starting 2026

    Vietnam to Ban Vape, HTP Starting 2026

    Vietnam will prohibit the sale of electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products beginning March 1, 2026, following the National Assembly’s approval of amendments to the Law on Investment, local outlet Tuoi Tre reported. The updated legislation places e-cigarettes and heated tobacco alongside other banned business sectors, including narcotics, certain hazardous chemicals and minerals, and prostitution.

    The move builds on a resolution passed last year that banned the production, trading, import, possession, transportation, and use of these products, according to Thanh Nien. Health officials say early effects are already visible. Angela Pratt, the World Health Organization’s representative in Vietnam, noted a 70% drop in e-cigarette–related emergency cases at major hospitals such as Bach Mai, along with a sharp decline in promotional activities for e-cigarettes and heated tobacco.

    Vietnam’s decision positions the country among the most restrictive markets in Asia regarding novel nicotine products, as policymakers cite rising youth use and public health concerns as key drivers of the ban.