E-Cigarettes Proliferate in Taiwan; KMT Legislator Proposes Regulation Equivalent to Cigarettes

Although e-cigarettes are not legal in Taiwan, they are still easy to obtain through the internet and night markets, and some students have even been found using them on campus. At a press conference on the 26th, KMT legislator Wu Chih-yang said that because current laws impose no penalties for using e-cigarettes, he plans to propose amendments to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act to regulate e-cigarettes in the same way as conventional cigarettes, including banning their use by minors and pregnant women.

At present, the government only prohibits the manufacture, import, and sale of e-cigarettes through administrative notices, but does not prohibit their use, leaving no legal basis to regulate users. E-cigarettes are already widespread on the market. A simple keyword search online brings up many related products, often marketed with claims such as “fruit flavor” and “lung cleansing” to attract consumers.

At the press conference on the 26th, Wu Chih-yang displayed e-cigarettes purchased at a night market, along with images showing rows of e-cigarettes openly displayed by vendors, demonstrating how easily teenagers can buy them. Wu said that according to statistics from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the number of e-cigarette samples tested has surged in recent years, increasing by more than tenfold compared with the past. As many as 80% of the tested products were found to contain nicotine, and long-term inhalation of such substances could have a major impact on the human respiratory system.

Wu Chih-yang emphasized that many people assume e-cigarettes are not tobacco products, and since the government has not imposed a clear ban or penalties and they are easy to obtain, their use has become widespread. To curb this trend, he will propose revisions to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act to explicitly define the use of e-cigarettes as equivalent to smoking, in order to prevent minors and pregnant women from using them, restrict where they may be used, and keep them out of schools.

Wu Lin-hui, a Ministry of Education supervisor, said that schools at all levels already carry out prevention and awareness programs regarding tobacco, alcohol, and drug abuse, but the legal status of e-cigarettes remains unclear. If the law is amended to remove this ambiguity, schools will be able to use the same prevention measures applied to traditional cigarettes.

Chen Hsin-cheng, Secretary-General of the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration under the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said the ministry supports amending the law to bring e-cigarettes under formal regulation and will also strengthen enforcement against them. Violators could face up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to NT$10 million.