Total Ban On E-cigarettes Unworkable: Sophia Chan

Secretary for Health Sophia Chan said on Thursday that she did consider banning vaping completely when legislation was drawn up to outlaw the import, production or distribution of e-cigarettes, but she ultimately decided against this because she believes enforcement would be too difficult.

Chan said this is because many people are currently using the products in Hong Kong.

Speaking on a RTHK programme, she said the proposed legislation is not aimed at punishing e-cigarette users, but to prevent young people from coming into contact with the products.

Under the proposed law, anyone caught bringing e-cigarettes into Hong Kong could be jailed for up to six months or face a fine of up to HK$50,000. There will be no exemptions for people who say the e-cigarettes are just for personal use, even though vaping itself will not be illegal.

Chan said she would work with other law enforcement agencies to combat any loopholes in the new legislation.

She told RTHK's Janice Wong that the current framework is the first step to stop vaping products from becoming more popular in Hong Kong.

"Our intention is not to criminalise our e-cigarette or heat-not-burn cigarette users. Our main aim is really to cut off the supply so that it won't affect our next generation," Chan said.