Taiwan actively enforces e-cigarette ban

One month after banning the sale of e-cigarettes in Taiwan, 2,173 violations have been recorded and 6,100 prohibited products have been identified, most of them sold online.

On March 22, 2023, the strengthening of the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act in Taiwan was introduced several measures aimed at reducing smoking. The legal age for tobacco sales has been raised from 18 to 20, health warnings have been enlarged, and smoke-free outdoor areas have been expanded. At the same time, the production, distribution, and sale of e-cigarettes has been banned. Finally, since no heated tobacco product has met the required risk assessment requirements, the importation and sale of these products is also prohibited.

Online sales, the main source of crime in Taiwan

One month after the regulation came into force, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) counted 6,100 products sold illicitly and recorded 2,173 violations of the legislation on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco.[1]The majority of these products (5495) were sold online, with the remaining 605 products being sold in physical stores.

Among the violations observed, the sale of e-cigarettes was the most frequent (1,453 cases, or 67% of the violations), followed by advertising for e-cigarettes. Forty e-cigarette stalls were also fined, as well as 42 instances of e-cigarette or heated tobacco use. Of these 42 instances of use, 41 involved people under the age of 20. The HPA reported that 18 violations resulted in fines of 280,000 New Taiwan dollars (€8,400), without specifying which offenses were involved—although it is likely that these were mainly sales-related cases.

Monitoring developments in online sales sites

Chung Chi-hui, a journalism professor at Shih Hsin University, has been involved in monitoring online sales of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco. He noted that since recent amendments to the law took effect, some e-cigarette retailers have changed the names of their products, removing trademarks and replacing product titles with ones like "scented candle" or "perfumes." Some online retailers, for their part, have set up "flash" sales, designed to be very limited in time to avoid prosecution. Similarly, they may also change accounts frequently, or sell these products only to customers they know using private messages.

Chia Shu-li, deputy director-general of the HPA, indicated that inspections would continue and encouraged the public to report any violations detected to local health departments. These same health departments can also accept reports from suspected offenders. Taiwan thus appears determined not to give in and to take a firm response to the growth of the black market, whether physical or online.

Keywords: Taiwan, e-cigarettes, heated tobacco, violation.

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[1] E-cigarette investigations top 2,000 after new rules, Taipei Times, published April 26, 2023, accessed April 27, 2023.

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