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The widespread popularity of e-cigarettes is considered an important public health concern. However, only some studies have investigated the prevalence of e-cigarette use in Shanghai, China. This study aimed to estimate e-cigarette awareness, prevalence, and associated factors among adults in Shanghai, China.

On June 20, 2023, the Office of the State Tobacco Administration sent out a notification on the "Guidelines for Promoting the Building of Quality Assurance Systems for Exported Electronic Cigarette Products", which the key points of the guidelines include: All e-cigarettes exported from China will need to comply with local regulatory legal requirements and need to be traceable throughout their inbound and outbound transport. All Chinese exports of e-cigarettes that are investigated by authorities overseas for quality issues must be reported to the Tobacco Administration where the manufacturer is located and be subject to relevant investigations. [...]

Hong Kong is considering banning those born after a certain date from ever being able to purchase tobacco products, introducing plain packaging for tobacco products, increasing tobacco taxes and more. It’s all being considered as part of a wide-ranging survey from the Hong Kong Health Bureau as part of its Public Consultation on Tobacco Control Strategies, a survey that takes place between July 12-Sept. 30, 2023. Hong Kong’s government has set a goal of reducing the percentage of adults who smoke from 9.5 percent in 2021 to 7.8 percent by 2025. [...]

Hong Kong’s health chief has said increasing tobacco taxes every year is an effective way to discourage smoking but has stressed that authorities plan to consult the public on the issue.

Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau made the suggestion on Thursday, a day after his bureau launched a 2½-month public consultation on anti-smoking strategies, covering 14 proposed measures ranging from increasing tobacco tax to banning people born after a certain date from buying cigarettes.

Banning Hongkongers born after a certain date from buying cigarettes is among measures in an open-ended public consultation on discouraging smoking, although insiders say some of the more controversial ideas were dropped. [...] The consultation, involving a citywide questionnaire, began on Wednesday and is expected to end on September 30.

Public health is a government priority. The increasing popularity of vaporized nicotine products has raised concerns about its impact on Taiwanese youths, so lawmakers are taking action to address the situation. Vaping, or consuming nicotine through vaporizing devices, has become increasingly popular, especially among teens.

Vapes were once touted as a potentially healthier alternative for smokers. However, starting last year, Taiwanese lawmakers began to propose legislation banning the import, sale, and manufacture of e-cigarettes, another term for vapes.

Sen. Chuck Schumer is calling on the US Food and Drug Administration to investigate a hot, new Chinese-made e-cigarette that he believes is skirting American advertising laws by appealing directly to kids and teenager via social media.

The New York Democrat said the e-cig — called “Elf Bar” — is wrapped in colorful packaging to attract youthful customers. And it hooks them with kid-friendly flavors like rainbow candy, peach mango, cotton candy and vanilla ice cream, according to a Sunday statement.

Black market cigarettes may cast a shadow over plans to reduce smoking rates in the city through a proposed increase in tobacco taxes. A recent survey found about 80 per cent of users would rather buy cheaper illicit products than quit. While discouraging, the findings should not prevent the government from considering a tax disincentive and more law enforcement to hit its goal of cutting tobacco use from 9.5 per cent of the population to 7.8 per cent by 2025.
More than 2,000 smokers and non-smokers were approached for the survey by the Long-term Tobacco Policy Concern Group.

Taiwan looks set to become the next country in Asia to ban nicotine vaping products.

On January 12, amendments to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act effectively cleared the legislative floor. Now, the legislation only awaits a presidential nod—a formality given that President Tsai Ing-wen is from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party that proposed it. 

The news, which arrives not long after the Philippines enacted relatively pro-vape regulations, has elicited strong reactions from consumers, policy experts and medical experts, who had some hopes that the tide might be turning in favor of tobacco harm reduction (THR). 

Taipei, Jan. 12 (CNA) The Legislative Yuan on Thursday passed a slew of amendments to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act that completely ban e-cigarettes and raise the legal smoking age from 18 to 20.

The revisions introduced by the Cabinet in January last year stipulate that the manufacture, import, sale, supply, display, advertising and use of all tobacco-like products, including e-cigarettes, shall be prohibited.

Violators face fines ranging from NT$10 million (US$328,403) to NT$50 million, according to the new law.