New Beijing Rail Transit Passenger Rules Officially Take Effect; E-cigarettes Included in Ban

As of May 15, the newly revised "Beijing Rail Transit Passenger Rules" officially took effect, in which e-cigarettes are regarded as having similar hazards to traditional cigarettes and are prohibited from being used in train cars. This new regulation is seen as a response to the e-cigarette incident that occurred on Beijing's subway line 10 last year.

On July 31, 2018, a female passenger was smoking an e-cigarette in a train car on Beijing's subway line 10, and when an elderly man tried to stop her, he was verbally abused by the woman. Videos and photos of the incident were uploaded to the internet, leading to widespread public outrage, with many blaming the woman and viewing e-cigarettes as the culprit.

1. Public Opinion

Some netizens directly criticized the woman for her "poor quality." "In public places, you can't smoke e-cigarettes where smoking is prohibited, and the vapor has already affected surrounding passengers; this behavior is really annoying," one netizen commented. Another said, "Non-smokers also dislike the vapor from e-cigarettes, and personally, I find the smell quite irritating."

2. Beijing Subway's Position

Beijing Subway officials stated that smoking is not allowed on the subway, as e-cigarettes are also considered smoking. If passengers are found using e-cigarettes, they will be advised to stop, and if necessary, relevant departments will be contacted to take action. However, there are currently no explicit regulations regarding e-cigarettes in the "Beijing Smoking Control Regulations" and the "Beijing Rail Transit Operation Safety Regulations."

3. Beijing Smoking Control Association's Position

Cui Xiaobo, the secretary-general of the Beijing Smoking Control Association, believes that e-cigarettes belong to "new-type tobacco" and are essentially an attempt to replace traditional cigarettes with electronic forms. They still recommend that everyone refrain from smoking and encourage smokers to quit. Currently, e-cigarettes are explicitly banned on transportation tools such as civil aviation and high-speed rail. Meanwhile, Zhang Jianshu, the president of the Beijing Smoking Control Association, stated that they will actively promote the inclusion of e-cigarettes in Beijing's strictest "smoking ban" regulations.

After this incident, there has been an increasing call from all sectors of society to include e-cigarettes in the smoking ban in public places. On October 11, 2018, the eighth smoking control report from the Beijing Smoking Control Association revealed that complaints about e-cigarettes have been increasing, and Beijing will explore the possibility of banning e-cigarettes in public places.

So far, cities like Hangzhou and the Macao Special Administrative Region have legislated to explicitly include e-cigarettes in the public smoking ban. The Hong Kong government has submitted a proposal to the Legislative Council to comprehensively ban the import, production, and sale of e-cigarettes, which is currently under discussion. Shenzhen's revised smoking control regulations in 2019 have also included e-cigarettes and are awaiting approval from the people's congress.