E-cigarettes are officially banned in the UAE, so why is online sales booming?

In the UAE, although e-cigarettes and vaping are banned, that has not stopped many online merchants from selling vaping devices and related paraphernalia to UAE residents.

The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention has reiterated that the ban on the sale of e-cigarettes remains in effect. Any vaping devices sold into the country will be confiscated at the airport. The UAE government supports the position of the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO does not endorse e-cigarettes, as there is no conclusive medical research proving that vaping has no harmful effects on health.

Dr. Wedad Al Maidour, head of the ministry’s tobacco control program, pointed out: “In the UAE, electronic cigarettes are prohibited, and using e-cigarettes is illegal. We have not authorized anyone to provide these products here.”

Last year, when there were calls to relax the policy on e-cigarette sales, the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA) sent a technical legal draft to the World Health Organization for clarification.

However, Dr. Maidour has her own view. “From the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology to the Ministry of Health, there is no signed document stating that the tobacco sales ban has been relaxed. A legal draft is not law. If e-cigarette websites are freely advertising online and selling devices to UAE citizens, then the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) needs to explain how these websites obtained licenses and were allowed to carry online advertising and trade for such prohibited products.”

These vaping websites are exploiting a legal loophole. Although it is clearly understood that the TRA can only take action after the Ministry of Health and Prevention files a formal complaint, Dubai residents can continue vaping in the meantime.