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Tag: vape ban

  • Pakistan Bill Would Treat Vape Like Cigarettes

    Pakistan Bill Would Treat Vape Like Cigarettes

    Pakistan’s Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services approved the Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (Regulation) Bill, clearing the way for its introduction in the Senate as authorities move to curb rising youth vaping, particularly in Islamabad. The bill would impose strict controls on the import, sale, marketing, and use of e-cigarettes, including a ban on sales within 50 meters of schools and colleges, a minimum purchase age of 18, and a prohibition on vape use in public transport, government buildings, parks, and other shared spaces.

    The proposed legislation would regulate vapes similarly to traditional tobacco products, banning all advertising—especially marketing aimed at minors—and requiring product standards such as nicotine caps of 40 mg/ml, child-resistant packaging, health warnings, and mandatory age verification for e-commerce sales. Penalties include fines of up to Rs 50,000 ($175) for first offenses, with escalating sanctions for repeat violations and smuggling. The bill is undergoing inter-ministerial review before formal Senate consideration, signaling tighter oversight for the nicotine and vaping market in Pakistan.

  • FDA Pushed on ‘De Facto’ Vape Ban by 5th Circ.

    FDA Pushed on ‘De Facto’ Vape Ban by 5th Circ.

    A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit signaled skepticism yesterday (January 6) toward the Food and Drug Administration’s claim that it has not effectively banned flavored refillable e-cigarette products, suggesting the agency’s near-total rejection of applications amounts to a de facto prohibition. During oral arguments, Judge Cory T. Wilson noted that the FDA has approved only six applications out of hundreds of thousands of premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs), remarking that “if you’re effectively at 100% denial on a certain class of products, then it is a de facto ban.”

    The case was brought by VDX Distro Inc., which is challenging the FDA’s refusal to authorize its menthol-flavored refillable vaping products. Government attorney Ben Lewis argued that no ban exists because some products have been approved, but judges pressed the agency on whether it has ever approved a flavored e-cigarette without evidence showing it provides greater smoking cessation benefits than tobacco-flavored products. Counsel for VDX argued the FDA violated the Tobacco Control Act by imposing new, unwritten standards without notice-and-comment rulemaking, effectively blocking all open-system refillable devices.

    Industry amici echoed those concerns, with an attorney for R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co. arguing the FDA applies stricter standards to flavored vaping products than to other nicotine products, such as pouches. The panel did not rule from the bench, but the pointed questioning underscores growing judicial scrutiny of FDA tobacco regulation, with potential implications for future authorization pathways for flavored vaping products closely watched by the tobacco and nicotine industries.

  • Malaysian Health Minister Says Vape Ban to Begin with Open Systems

    Malaysian Health Minister Says Vape Ban to Begin with Open Systems

    Malaysia’s Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Dzulkefly Ahmad touted the nation’s highly discussed vape ban as being “almost here,” and said the ban will be done in stages, initially focusing on open systems. “We face challenges, but we still hope to implement the ban,” he said. “Many compounding factors are at play. But our team of experts is here to work on it.”

    Reports indicate that the ban is expected to be implemented in mid-2026. 

  • 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.