VapeMentors founder explains the differences in e-cigarette bans across countries

Norm Bour: "When I travel from one country to another, everything changes: language, currency, food, and seemingly specific and random smoking regulations that are hard to untangle.

Before Indonesia, I had been in New Zealand and Australia, two modern, contemporary first-world countries. New Zealand seems satisfied with its smoking regulations, with shops flourishing. In Sydney and Canberra, Australia, smoking shops are less common, and I found it difficult to get specific feedback from shop owners and staff. There seems to be some bias, perhaps with good reason.

Health Minister Mark Butler proudly stated on record that Australia's smoking regulations will become "the strictest in the world," which may justify the concerns of smoking shop owners. The government is cracking down on disposable smoking devices, having seized over AUD 11 million (USD 7.3 million) worth of nicotine-containing smoking products so far this year—totaling 11 tons.

In November last year, Butler announced that Australia would ban all imports of disposable e-cigarettes starting January 1, 2024. From March 2024, the ban will expand to include all non-therapeutic e-cigarettes, including refillable devices, and companies importing e-cigarettes for medical purposes will need to obtain permission from the Office of Drug Control.

Therapeutic e-cigarettes will be subject to new regulations, including a ban on flavors, limited nicotine content, and will be sold in pharmaceutical packaging under regulations introduced in 2024, with manufacturers given a transition period to comply.

The legislative package will also provide an additional AUD 75 million in funding to the Australian Border Force and the Therapeutic Goods Administration to enforce the new rules. Additional laws will be introduced next year to apply the same ban to domestic manufacturers.

When all is said and done, it seems that no e-cigarette products will be available for sale without a prescription, but will instead be sold in pharmacies. Goodbye smoking shops, welcome back, black market.

New Zealand may soon follow suit.

Currently, New Zealand's smoking regulations are reasonable, allowing smoking shops to operate independently but under strict government oversight. The age restrictions are significant, and soon, disposable e-cigarettes and flavored products (including "attractive names") will be banned.

At the end of 2022, the New Zealand Parliament passed the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Tobacco Smoking) Amendment Bill, with regulators stating that the bill will gradually phase out the use of combustible tobacco products in the country. However, in November last year, New Zealand's new coalition government announced plans to scrap the generational tobacco ban that would prohibit anyone born after 2009 from using tobacco products.

Despite abandoning the generational tobacco ban, the new government vowed to strengthen the crackdown on e-cigarettes, banning the import of disposable e-cigarettes and increasing penalties for illegal sales to those under 18.

Meanwhile, 2,000 miles to the north is another world—"a newly industrialized country with a rapidly growing economy and political stability," according to Indonesian media.

Most shops appear basic in appearance, and the product offerings are similarly basic.

The government has largely ignored the e-cigarette market, with almost no regulations on physical or online stores, aside from the excise tax on e-liquids. For a decade, the government has expressed intentions to address e-cigarette products, but currently, they have imposed a 57% tax on e-cigarette products, compared to a 40% tax on tobacco.

In September last year, the Indonesian Parliament passed the Health Bill No. 17 of 2023, classifying e-cigarettes as addictive substances. The chairman of the Indonesian Electronic Nicotine Industry Alliance, Taigu Baski A. Wibowo, told the media that including e-cigarettes in the legal framework of solid and liquid tobacco products has legalized industry participants and allowed smokers to seek alternative products.

This law places Indonesia on par with countries like the Philippines and the UK, which have similar legislative frameworks for e-cigarettes, Wibowo stated.

Indonesia has nearly 65 million smokers, second only to China and India. Tobacco is heavily advertised through television and other media, which has traditionally been a primary target for restrictions.

In Ubud, Bali, a favorite among foreigners from around the world, I visited Niyali E-Cigarettes, where the owner confirmed the same trend I had heard elsewhere: disposable e-cigarettes are the best sellers. At my next stop, Gaya E-Cigarettes, the staff said the same when I inquired about sudden visits from regulators; the counter staff, Ginoah, admitted that such visits happen frequently.

He also talked about the difference between locals and tourists: "Most tourists come to refill, (fewer come) to buy disposable e-cigarettes," he said. "They ask for their flavors, and we usually don't have their exact brands, but we have similar flavors, and they are satisfied with that."#p#分页标题#e#

The largest group of tourists coming to Indonesia is Australians, the country with the highest cigarette prices in the world, with packs costing over $25. During my time in Bali, I asked some Australians if they stock up on tobacco products during their visit, and they all replied, "Of course!"

Despite the differences between countries, some smoking patterns are standard, including Ginoah, the 25-year-old front desk guy at Gaya E-Cigarettes, who quit smoking in 2017 and switched to e-cigarettes. But he admitted that sometimes when money is tight, he chooses cigarettes over e-cigarettes.

E-cigarettes are much cheaper, but for consumers at Indonesia's wage levels, the price of liquids can be prohibitive. However, Ginoah's enthusiasm for e-cigarettes allows him to work at Gaya, one of several stores in the region with the same name.

For those earning foreign currency salaries, the cost of living in Indonesia is low, which also applies to tobacco and e-cigarette products. A pack of regular cigarettes costs about 24,000 Indonesian Rupiah, equivalent to less than $1.60. Premium brands like Marlboro cost about $2.25 per pack, still a bargain for those used to foreign prices. Indonesia is not the cheapest country for smokers—that honor belongs to Vietnam—but it ranks in the lowest percentile.

My new friend William at Glory E-Cigarettes admitted he is a dual user because e-cigarettes are much cheaper (even with those very low cigarette prices), allowing him to make his disposable e-cigarette last up to three weeks. Coupled with his love for all fruit flavors, he only smokes when socializing with friends.

He also revealed that local police often visit the store, but he suspects they come more for boredom than to look for illegal items."