Philippines Revises Rules and No Longer Strictly Bans E-Cigarettes
After strict restrictions driven by last year’s misunderstandings, the Philippines adopted a more rational approach to e-cigarettes on Feb. 28, easing its previously hard-line stance.
After severe misunderstandings about e-cigarettes in the Philippines last year, a rational perspective finally emerged on February 28 this year!<\/span><\/div>
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Last year, when cases of lung injuries occurred in the Philippines, it was mistakenly believed that e-cigarettes were the cause, leading to a very strict government stance on e-cigarettes, which escalated to the presidential level.<\/span><\/div>
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On November 19 last year, Philippine President Duterte made a very stern speech regarding e-cigarettes, stating that he would ban the use and import of e-cigarettes and arrest anyone using them.<\/span><\/div>
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"I want to ban it, including its use and import. Do you know why? Because it is toxic, and the government has the right to implement measures to protect public health and public interest," Duterte said.<\/span><\/div>
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Just hours after President Duterte announced the ban on e-cigarettes, on November 20, 2019, the Philippine police received orders to start arresting people using e-cigarettes in public.<\/span><\/div>
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After this turmoil, good news finally arrived in the spring of 2020!<\/span><\/div>
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On February 28, 2020, the Presidential Palace of the Philippines announced an executive order signed by President Duterte, revising the national smoking ban issued in 2017 to include e-cigarettes in the regulatory scope.<\/span><\/div>
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Although e-cigarettes are now included in the regulatory scope, the executive order stipulates that businesses involved in the manufacture or sale of e-cigarettes can operate after registering and obtaining permission from the Philippine Food and Drug Administration, and must comply with relevant standards set by the Philippine government during their operations.<\/span><\/div>
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This executive order marks the beginning of a regulated development for e-cigarettes in the Philippines! The Philippine government no longer treats e-cigarettes with a simple, crude, one-size-fits-all approach! The government no longer bans the use and import of e-cigarettes!<\/span><\/div>
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