In Taiwan, local authorities ban e-cigarettes

Taichung is set to become the first of six Taiwanese cities to ban residents under the age of 18 from using or possessing e-cigarettes, starting in September 2020. The sale and supply of e-cigarettes or vaping-related products (e-liquids, in particular) to minors and pregnant women will be punishable by a fine of between NT$10,000 and NT$50,000 (€300 to €1,500). The use of e-cigarettes in schools, museums, cinemas or on public transport will also be banned, with offenders facing a fine of NT$2,000 to NT$10,000 (€60 to €300). The Taichung Department of Health stressed that the number of adolescents and minors consuming e-cigarettes was constantly increasing, and constituted a major health issue. Not considered as tobacco products, e-cigarettes were not covered by the law on the risks and prevention of tobacco, and until now benefited from a legal vacuum. This decision comes at a time when major e-cigarette companies such as Juul are being singled out for targeting younger generations, particularly via social networks, and selling their products to minors. The e-cigarette must be considered exclusively as a potential weaning tool. It must in no case represent a means of entering the consumption of addictive products due to nicotine, or even have a gateway effect to traditional tobacco products. In this regard, the public authorities reiterate their imperative to curb the tobacco epidemic among younger generations. ©Generation Without Tobacco

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This news is taken from the following article: Taipei Times, Taichung to be first to ban e-cigarette use by minors, March 30, 2020 https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2020/03/30/2003733656 | ©National Committee Against Smoking |