E-cigarettes worldwide: data on market trends and regulatory landscapes

4th October 2024: Americas: The Directing Council of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) – the specialised international health agency for the region of the Americas within the World Health Organization (WHO) – has adopted a new strategy to strengthen tobacco control in the region, setting out different objectives for 2030. The strategy aims to increase the number of countries in the region adopting tobacco control measures. Measures could include establishing regulatory measures for novel tobacco and nicotine products, adopting smoke-free measures, enacting legislation to introduce large health warnings (covering at least 50% of the main surfaces of packaging) for tobacco products, introducing plain packaging for tobacco products or adopting a complete advertising ban.
3rd October 2024: Philippines: Following the publication of amendments to the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Republic Act 11900 (Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Act), which regulates e-cigarettes, heated tobacco and novel tobacco products, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) published a press release reminding all product manufacturers and importers to apply for product registration and certification, and stating that currently there are ten Philippine Standards licences issued, although three licences are suspended.
3rd October 2024: Israel: The Ministry of Health has issued a press release regarding a toddler who needed medical treatment due to the fear of nicotine poisoning after being exposed to an e-cigarette that resembled a toy. The ministry stressed that the use of e-cigarettes should be avoided and kept out of the reach of children.
1st October 2024: India: Researchers have found that vaping brands are using e-commerce platforms and influencers to market e-cigarettes to Indian youth on social media, despite the 2019 ban on these products. The Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) identified 83 stores and 189 influencers involved in this promotion, contributing to two-thirds of its study participants being aware of e-cigarettes via social media.
1st October 2024: Bangladesh: Health experts have proposed a nationwide ban on e-cigarettes, alongside increasing taxes on tobacco products, tightening tobacco control laws and halting advertising campaigns by tobacco companies. These suggestions were presented during a workshop titled “Empowering Young Physicians for Tobacco Control in Bangladesh”, which linked tobacco use to non-communicable diseases like heart disease, cancer and diabetes, indicating that the scientific community in Bangladesh is taking a stricter approach towards all tobacco products.
1st October 2024: Pakistan: Health experts have called on state authorities to implement stricter regulations to curb the rising use of e-cigarettes, vapes and nicotine products, particularly among the country’s youth. Concerns about increasing consumption levels among youth were discussed at a seminar titled “Evolving Trends: A Deep Dive into New Nicotine and Tobacco Products”, organised by the Indus Hospital & Health Network (IHHN) and Health Services Academy (HSA).
1st October 2024: Australia: Starting today, over-18s will not require a prescription for vaping products with a concentration of less than 20 mg/ml. Sale of these products will still be limited to pharmacies, and only one month’s supply can be purchased over the course of one month. Vaping products with a higher nicotine concentration will remain subject to prescription. The state of Tasmania, however, aims to maintain the prescription requirement, as announced by the state’s director of public health Mark Veitch. Tasmania is currently in the process of adopting a bill that, if passed, will restrict vaping product sales to over-18s with a prescription.
1st October 2024: New Zealand: As of today, retailers, distributors, local manufacturers and importers must only sell reusable vaping products that contain removable batteries and are compliant with child-safety mechanisms.
1st October 2024: Morocco: Authenticity and Modernity Party member of parliament (MP) Abdellatif Al Zaim has submitted a written question to the minister of industry and commerce about the measures the ministry will take to halt tobacco companies’ intensive promotion of alternative tobacco products. He highlighted that tobacco companies market these products as safe alternatives to traditional cigarettes but that research has not confirmed these products are less harmful than traditional cigarettes.
30th September 2024: Vietnam: Following the introduction of a draft law on special consumption tax to increase taxes on tobacco products with two options of taxes, the Ministry of Health has agreed to option 2, press reports. This option starts in 2026 with a tax of VND50,000 ($2) per cigarette, 100 g, or 100 ml, which will increase annually by VND10,000 ($0.40) until reaching a maximum of VND100,000 ($4). The tax might also apply to heated tobacco and e-cigarettes if regulated. The tax would cover “other forms, other preparations from tobacco plants for smoking, inhaling, chewing, sniffing or sucking (100 g or 100 ml)”.
30th September 2024: Malaysia: Today, the Ministry of Health issued the set of regulations developing the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024, putting the new legal framework for vaping products into operation starting tomorrow, 1st October. Among other things, the regulations envisage packaging and labelling requirements, including a health warning; an online and vending machine sales ban; usage restrictions; mandatory registration of vaping products and its process; a maximum nicotine content of 35 mg/ml, which will be changed to 20 mg/ml from 1st October 2025; and a maximum volume per cartridge or disposable pod of 3 ml, which will be changed to 2 ml starting 1st October 2026. An order establishing the list of laboratories accredited to carry out the testing has also been issued. The Ministry of Health previously said it would give a grace period for the industry to adapt to the new regulations, which will end on 1st April 2025.
30th September 2024: Philippines: According to our compliance calendar, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) revenue regulations 16-2024, which updates floor prices of vaping products, enters into force today. As a reference, the regulations set floor prices of PHP180.67 ($3.25) for a 2 ml pod of nicotine salt, PHP679.12 ($12.20) for a 10 ml bottle of nicotine salt, PHP181.72 ($3.30) for a 10 ml bottle of conventional freebase and PHP263.73 ($4.75) for a 30 ml bottle of conventional freebase. The floor prices take into consideration the content of the packaging, production cost, excise tax from 2024, and value-added tax (VAT). The floor prices set in the regulation are only to be used “as reference for taxation purposes in the absence of other documents as to the actual price of the product that is higher than the identified floor price”.

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