E-cigarettes are legally permitted products in China—media should stop quoting out of context

Let's first review the timeline of electronic cigarette-related policies:

In August 2018, the State Administration for Market Regulation and the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration jointly issued the "Notice on Prohibiting the Sale of Electronic Cigarettes to Minors" (State Administration for Market Regulation, State Tobacco Monopoly Administration Notice No. 26 of 2018);

In November 2019, the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration and the State Administration for Market Regulation jointly issued the "Notice on Further Protecting Minors from the Harm of Electronic Cigarettes" (State Tobacco Monopoly Administration, State Administration for Market Regulation Notice No. 1 of 2019);

On July 13, 2020, the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration held a video conference to deploy special inspections of the electronic cigarette market and proposed requirements for related work;

On July 20, the Heilongjiang Provincial Tobacco Monopoly Administration held a special video conference to mobilize and deploy the special inspection of the electronic cigarette market;

On July 20, the Qinghai Provincial Tobacco Monopoly Administration held a video conference to arrange and deploy the special inspection work for the electronic cigarette market across the province;

On July 23, the "Special Inspection Action Plan for the Electronic Cigarette Market" policy interpretation was released;

On July 24, the 2020 Tobacco Industry Half-Year Work Video Conference was held in Beijing, proposing to continuously strengthen electronic cigarette regulation and carry out in-depth special inspections of the electronic cigarette market;

Since 2018, when electronic cigarettes gained favor from capital and influencers, they have become a hot topic. Due to the lack of clear regulation and national standards for electronic cigarettes in China, every piece of news regarding electronic cigarette policies seems to make headlines.

However, I am often unhappy because both mainstream and industry media seem to report with a quick-to-judge attitude towards electronic cigarettes, and responsible reporting is rarely seen.

In fact, every time the government issues regulatory policies regarding electronic cigarettes, it tells us one thing:

Electronic cigarettes are legal; they just lack reasonable and standardized management.

Some people say, isn't this obvious? Clearly, it is not so obvious.

Many people misunderstand that the inability to sell electronic cigarettes online means they are banned. Is it the same for cigarettes, which also cannot be sold online? Are they banned as well?

For survival, whenever I mention that we are in the electronic cigarette business, people often say, "Aren't electronic cigarettes banned?"

I really want to say again seriously:

Electronic cigarette products have never been banned by the state. The electronic cigarette industry we are engaged in is a legitimate business licensed by the state, and electronic cigarettes are legal products allowed by the state.

Please let them know.

This article is adapted from a statement by Electronic Cigarette Home, with slight modifications. If there is any infringement, please contact the author.