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Hong Kong will ban the possession and use of e-cigarette cartridges in public by mid-2026, town’s high well being official mentioned on Sunday as the federal government pushed forward with its anti-tobacco agenda.
Vaping stays frequent in Hong Kong regardless that the Chinese language finance hub banned the import, manufacture and sale of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco merchandise in April 2022.
“To protect our young people, we believe it is time to ban the use of e-cigarette cartridges,” Secretary for Well being Lo Chung-mau mentioned on a tv program.
“We will start by legislating against outdoor possession and use,” Lo mentioned. “Once the public is accustomed to (the ban), we will implement it in all places.”
The coverage—first floated final 12 months as a blanket ban on e-cigarettes—will likely be despatched to the legislature in April with the objective of taking impact by mid-2026, Lo mentioned.
The ban will begin with public locations as a result of there will likely be “many enforcement problems” in indoor areas.
The World Well being Group mentioned final 12 months that round 35 international locations have banned the sale of e-cigarettes.
Hong Kong authorities hope to cut back the smoking prevalence price to 7.8 p.c this 12 months, down from 9.1 p.c in 2023.
Lo mentioned most of the individuals nonetheless vaping in Hong Kong relied on unlawful imports and that e-cigarette cartridges or pods have develop into a device for leisure drug use.
Authorities have scrambled to crack down on the rising use of etomidate—an anesthetic nicknamed “space oil” that’s typically inhaled via vaping.
As a part of its legislative push, the Hong Kong authorities will even suggest in April banning non-menthol flavored cigarettes.
© 2025 AFP
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