Taiwan’s amended tobacco bill completely bans e-cigarettes, increases the smoking age, and requires warnings to cover 50% of tobacco product packages. Photo credit: Yuriy Kosygin, CC BY-SA 4.0
Taiwan’s Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act Amendment Bill that includes new rules like a complete ban on e-cigarettes and raising the smoking age from 18 to 20 is now in effect.
The Cabinet introduced the amendment bill in January of last year, and the legislature approved it in February of that same year. The amended bill was signed into law by President Tsai Ing-wen on February 15 this year but came into effect on March 22.
Under the new rules, the manufacture, import, sale, supply, exhibition, advertisement, and use of e-cigarettes are completely banned. Manufacturing or importing e-cigarettes is punishable by a fine up to TWD$50 million (US$1.65 million). Unapproved new tobacco products, including heated tobacco products, will need to be submitted to the appropriate authorities for health risk assessments before they may be manufactured, imported, or sold. Even when approved, the products cannot be sold via online platforms or vending machines where customers' ages cannot be verified. Also, no free tobacco products shall be distributed at any commercial premises, and no one can provide tobacco products to anyone under the age of 20.
The required portion of the health hazard warning on a tobacco product package now increased from 35% to 50%. Tobacco products cannot contain additives that are prohibited or not approved by the central government's agencies. College campuses, kindergartens, daycare facilities, and family child care homes are now included in the list of places where smoking is prohibited. Although bars and nightclubs are categorized as no-smoking establishments, they are allowed to set up smoking rooms that have their own air conditioning.