South Africa Reimposes Ban on Cigarette and E-Cigarette Sales
On March 27, South African authorities banned the sale of tobacco products and vaping devices as part of COVID-19 restrictions. As restrictions later began to ease, officials announced in April that cigarette sales would resume on May 1, but that decision
On March 27, South African authorities banned the sale of tobacco products and electronic devices as part of the current COVID-19 situation. Subsequently, as restrictions began to ease, it was announced in April that cigarette sales would be allowed to resume from May 1, but this decision was reconsidered at a later date. More restrictions were announced the following week on July 12.
The ban on tobacco products and alcohol sales announced in March regrettably included safer alternatives such as e-cigarettes and snuff. Naturally, this angered many public health experts and e-cigarette advocates. Asanda Gcoyi, CEO of the Vapour Products Association of South Africa (VPASA), reiterated that treating cigarettes and safer alternatives in the same way would lead to serious problems.
E-cigarettes are not smoking; they are two different things. Both vaping and cigarettes contain nicotine, but nicotine is not the lethal factor in smoking; people die from tar.
Most importantly, according to international health experts, Gcoyi added that another concern is that e-cigarettes are returning to smoking or purchasing e-cigarette products on the black market. "My other concern is the illegal market. People are buying vape juice from unknown stores, hearing that it is sold in spaza shops, and some say people are mixing juices at home, which is very dangerous because they are just mixing various things, and the environment is not right."
And this is exactly what is happening. Sadly, a recent study conducted by the University of Cape Town proved these predictions to be correct. Economists Corne van Walbeek, Samantha Filby, and Kirsten van der Zee surveyed over 16,000 people to understand how they were affected by the tobacco ban.
The researchers reported: "Our findings suggest that the efforts to ban cigarette sales should have been done differently." "While the intention of the ban was to support public health, the current drawbacks of the ban may far outweigh its benefits. Despite the lockdown, smokers are still purchasing cigarettes in large quantities, and unusual brands are becoming common."
Regulation 45 prohibits the sale of e-cigarettes.
Despite these findings, on July 12 (Sunday) last week, as part of the new Disaster Management Act regulations, South Africa adopted a dozen new regulations. Among them is Regulation 45, which prohibits the use of tobacco and vaping products.
"Prohibiting the sale of tobacco, tobacco products, e-cigarettes, and related products to the public and individuals, including retailers selling directly to the public. Sales of tobacco, tobacco products, e-cigarettes, and related products for export are allowed. Sales of tobacco from farmers to local processors or local manufacturers and from processors to manufacturers are allowed."
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