E-cigarettes in Saudi Arabia

Gulf Cooperation Council: The Gulf Health Council has launched a week-long online campaign under the slogan “#companionship_without_vaping” to combat the use of e-cigarettes, particularly by young people, press reports.

Saudi Arabia: The National Committee for Tobacco Control plans to increase the excise tax on all tobacco products to 150% in an attempt to limit the number of tobacco users, press reports. The tobacco excise tax applies also to e-cigarettes.

Saudi Arabia: The Saudi Shura Council has amended the Anti-Smoking Law, raising the purchasing and distribution age for all tobacco products from 18 to 21, press reports. The amendments also stipulate that designated areas for tobacco use and vaping will also be reserved to those aged 21 and above.

Saudi Arabia: The Riyadh Municipality has tweeted about “the most prominent violations” by hospitality premises serving “tobacco products”, which include e-cigarettes. They include offering tobacco products without a permit, failure to disclose monthly sales, failure to specify a “tobacco product serving fee” and adding it as a separate item on the customer’s invoice. The authoritiy points out that all these violations are subject to the penalties stipulated in the 2019 Anti-Smoking Law.

Saudi Arabia: The National Committee for Tobacco Control has tweeted that the Islamic pilgrimage season, the Hajj, is an opportunity to quit smoking, and stressed that under the Anti-Smoking Law Royal Decree No. (M/56)/2015 it is prohibited to consume any tobacco product in religious areas, including squares and places surrounding mosques. Saudi Arabia’s anti-smoking regulations also apply to e-cigarettes.

Saudi Arabia: The Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority  has introduced an initial draft through the Public Consultation Platform, proposing amendments to the executive bylaw on excise tax. It suggests that a warehouse should be eligible for licensing as a tax warehouse if it acquires an average of 500,000 vaping devices a year rather than 1m devices as at present, and 125,000 l of e-liquid rather than 500,000. The authority has until 30th July to discuss the amendments before accepting them.