HONG KONG: As the government advanced its anti-tobacco agenda, the city’s top health official announced on Sunday (February 9) that Hong Kong will outlaw the public possession and use of e-cigarette cartridges by the middle of 2026.
Despite Hong Kong’s April 2022 ban on the import, production, and sale of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, vaping is still popular in the Chinese metropolis.
On a televised show, Health Secretary Lo Chung-mau stated, “We think it’s time to ban the use of e-cigarette cartridges in order to protect our youth.” Legislation prohibiting outdoor possession and usage will be our first step,” Lo stated. “We will enforce the prohibition everywhere once the general public is used to it.
About 35 nations have prohibited the sale of e-cigarettes, according to a World Health Organisation report from last year. Authorities in Hong Kong intend to lower the smoking prevalence rate from 9.1% in 2023 to 7.8% this year.
According to a 2022 law, e-cigarette importers in Hong Kong face a maximum sentence of seven years in prison and a fine of HK$2 million (US$257,000), while producers and sellers face a maximum sentence of six months in jail.
According to Lo, a large portion of Hong Kong’s vapers still depend on illicit imports, and e-cigarette cartridges and pods have evolved into a tool for recreational drug use.
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