Global Vaping Market Regulation in 2019: A Roundup

The global output value of e-cigarettes (excluding heated non-combustible) in 2018 is estimated at $16 billion. Compared with 2017, the global output value increased by 1.3 times, compared with the global output value in 2012, the global output value increased by 7.6 times. 2018 e-cigarettes China exports are estimated at 26 billion RMB, and the domestic e-cigarettes market consumption scale is about 4 billion RMB, of which 2.3 billion RMB is online and 1.7 billion RMB is offline. It is understood that the domestic exports of e-cigarette products in the first quarter of 2019 totaled 6.7 billion yuan. Figure Top 10 Global E-Cigarette Markets 2018
E-cigarettes are emerging and the regulatory policies on e-cigarettes vary from country to country around the world, e-cigarette sales and manufacturers should make flexible arrangements according to each region. According to the Technical Officer of Tobacco Free Initiative of WHO China Representative Office, there are currently 32 countries in the world that completely ban e-cigarettes and 69 countries that regulate them. Six countries have banned the sale, production, and importation of e-cigarettes and regulated their use.

Recently, San Francisco, where Juul is headquartered, has enacted a new e-cigarette ordinance: the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to adopt a new e-cigarette ban, making San Francisco the first U.S. city to impose a complete ban on the sale of e-cigarettes. The following is a comprehensive compilation of some of the policies in various regions for reference! If there is any error, please understand!



E-cigarette control in most countries and regions can be summarized as “Tobacco”, “Consumer”, “Pharmaceutical”, “Intent unclear” regulation of four categories.

1. “Tobacco Class” Regulation

Orientation: categorize tobacco vaping products, medical products, and vaping devices to be regulated

Comprehensive: carpet control of production, import, marketing, circulation, consumption and other links


2. “Consumer products” regulation


Commercial: strong product attributes,

Flexible: restrictive control of nicotine content, channel control, tax control

3. “Pharmaceutical” regulation

Strict: E-cigarettes containing nicotine can only be used for medical purposes


Authoritative: strict authorization system

4. Unclear regulation of intent

Unclear definition of attributes, classification and grading, and uses of e-cigarettes

II. Prohibited sales areas



The following countries and regions prohibit the sale of e-cigarettes in principle (no information is available for other countries, so no statistics will be provided):

Three (3) Permitted Sales Areas

China: allowed, but affected by regional differences, Shenzhen is proposed to be included in the management of tobacco control, the current national standard for e-cigarettes is being established and is expected to be introduced by the end of 2019.

Costa Rica: importation, sale and use are permitted and regulated as tobacco products. All transactions must be age verified (only adults over 18). Advertising is not allowed. Use in public places is restricted.

CZECH REPUBLIC: There are no restrictions on the importation, sale, use and marketing of e-cigarettes.

European Union: importation, sale, use and advertising are permitted.

Germany: allows importation, sale and use. Two state supreme courts have ruled that e-cigarettes and filled tobacco oils are not medicines under the “Drugs Act” or the “Medical Devices Act”. Germany is one of the countries with the most lenient regulatory measures for e-cigarettes, with no special taxes on vapor cigarettes, and the current ebay cross-border sales of e-cigarettes are regulated, with only minor restrictions on advertising and the like.

INDONESIA: The Indonesian government has said it is imposing a tax of up to 57% on non-tobacco alternatives, including e-cigarettes, starting in the summer of 2018.

ISRAEL: Importation and sales are allowed.

Italy: import, sale and use are unrestricted. e-cigarettes are prohibited for sale to persons under 18 years of age (only for nicotine-containing liquids).

Ireland: importation, sale and use are permitted. #p#Page Break #e#

South Korea: Here e-cigarettes are considered tobacco products and are subject to tobacco control legislation. Taxes are high and reports show that South Korea has the highest retail prices for e-cigarettes in the world.HNB products are popular.

Latvia: E-cigarettes can be sold to people over the age of 18.

Malta: Considered a tobacco product, sales and use are permitted, but e-cigarettes fall under “tobacco law”. They cannot be advertised, they cannot be used in enclosed public places, and they can only be used by adults over the age of 18.

Netherlands: Import, sale and use are permitted. The government's attempt at a total ban was legally overturned: the Gravenhage Court in the Netherlands legalized the importation and sale of e-cigarettes and nicotine-containing e-liquids in a civil court case.

Poland: importation, sale and use are allowed.

Russia: importation, sale and use permitted.

Tajikistan: the sale and use of electronic cigarettes is currently unrestricted.

Ukraine: allowed, but with restrictions.

UK: allows importation, sale, advertising and use. There are some restrictions on advertising. As far as we know, the UK is currently the only country in the world where e-cigarettes are fully and effectively regulated. The maximum nicotine content in vape oils permitted in the UK is 20 mg/mL, and bottles may contain more than 10 mL of liquid with a nicotine content of more than 10 mL, which must be childproof and tamperproof. Atomizers sold cannot contain more than 2 ml.

USA: Importation, sale, advertising and use are permitted. The FDA has tightened controls on the sale of e-cigarettes this year, raising the purchase age to 21 or older to control the problem of e-cigarette abuse by teens and requiring e-cigarette manufacturers to take flavored e-cigarettes off the shelves of brick-and-mortar stores. iqos e-cigarettes were approved for the U.S. market not too long ago, and San Francisco became the first city in the U.S. to ban e-cigarettes.

Colorado, USA: put the use of e-cigarettes in the same category as the use of tobacco cigarettes. Raised the age to purchase tobacco and e-cigarettes from 18 to 21. Discontinued the sale of fruit and dessert-flavored nicotine products.

Armenia: sales of e-cigarettes and vape oils with and without nicotine are not regulated.2018 Philip Morris International (PMI), started sales of its revolutionary smokeless product iQOS in Armenia.

Bosnia and Herzegovina: nicotine-containing vape cartridges are not classified as tobacco products and therefore their sale is not regulated.

Bulgaria: The sale and use of e-cigarettes and nicotine-containing cartridges are legal.

Romania: The sale and use of electronic cigarettes is legal.

Sweden: The sale of e-cigarettes is legal for anyone, but the sale of nicotine liquids to minors under the age of 18 is illegal.

SWITZERLAND: In 2018, local businesses in Switzerland successfully challenged the illegality of nicotine-containing liquids in the Federal Court of Justice, immediately lifting the ban and selling nicotine liquids throughout the country, as well as neighboring Liechtenstein, which follows the same law .

New Zealand: e-cigarettes have been legalized. Femo International's new IQOS tobacco product with heat-not-burn technology is officially on the road to legalization in New Zealand.

France: E-cigarettes and nicotine liquids are considered consumer products subject to general product safety regulations unless they meet the criteria for a medical license. The sale of e-cigarettes to persons under the age of 18, as well as the sale of cartridges with or without nicotine, is prohibited.

IV. Sales Restricted Areas

Australia: Partially licensed, nicotine-containing e-cigarettes are prohibited. However, it is legal to obtain nicotine-containing e-cigarettes by complying with the following rules: obtaining a nicotine prescription from a doctor or corporate healthcare service; ordering nicotine-containing vaping oils from trusted international websites or approved Australian compounding pharmacies; and, if importing nicotine-containing vaping oils, ensuring that they meet the requirements of the TGA's (Medicines Grader's Authority) Individual Import Program.

Belgium: partial license, ban on nicotine-containing e-cigarettes.

Denmark: partial license, banning nicotine-containing e-cigarettes.

Finland: partial license, both nicotine-free tobacco oils and e-cigarette devices can be sold in Finland. Nicotine-containing tobacco oils meet the requirements of the “Medicines Act” and are not licensed for sale in this country. However, the Finnish authorities have decided that nicotine cartridges containing less than 10 milligrams of nicotine and cigarette oils containing less than 0.42 grams of nicotine per bottle can be legally imported from other countries for private use.

Hungary: Partially licensed, the sale of nicotine-containing cartridges is legal, but is limited to bottles of up to 10 ml and can only be sold in official state tobacco stores. The sale of e-cigarettes to minors under the age of 18 is prohibited. Hungary is one of the most restrictive countries in terms of nicotine substitutes. #p#Page Break #e#

Japan: partially licensed, e-cigarettes containing nicotine are banned because they are classified as unlicensed medical products. The world's largest market for the sale of HNB products.

Norway: Partially licensed, e-cigarettes and nicotine-free cartridges can be sold and the sale and use of e-cigarettes is legal, but nicotine cartridges can only be imported from other EEA member states (e.g., UK) for private use. All marketing advertising is prohibited. Sale to persons under the age of 18 is prohibited.

South Africa: Partially licensed, e-cigarettes and nicotine-free cartridges can be sold, but nicotine-containing oils are banned. E-cigarette products are categorized under tobacco control, which means that they face strict restrictions in marketing and sales. hNB products are beginning to be sold.

Sweden: Partially licensed, e-cigarettes and nicotine-free cartridges can be sold.

Croatia: Advertising is restricted, e-cigarette use is prohibited in all public enclosed places, and e-cigarettes are categorized as tobacco products. The use of e-cigarettes is prohibited in all public buildings and their sale to minors is prohibited.

Portugal: The sale of nicotine-containing cartridges is restricted.

Turkey: Inconsistent regulation of e-cigarettes. Sales are not completely banned and there are many online stores.
Malaysia: E-cigarettes containing nicotine are considered illegal and have been completely banned in the states of Penang, Kedah, Johor, Kelantan and Terengganu. The Malaysian government is preparing new legislation to regulate e-cigarettes. Industry standards for nicotine-free e-cigarettes have been enacted, and the production of e-cigarette oils is booming locally.

Seychelles: following the approval of a cabinet minister, the country will legalize the use of e-cigarettes and develop new regulations to include “nicotine replacement products” (AND) in the country's tobacco control law.