There is not enough evidence that electronic cigarettes can help smokers quit and anyone promoting such a claim could face legal action, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said yesterday.
Neither the safety of e-cigarettes nor their efficacy in helping wean smokers of their dependence on nicotine has been scientifically proven, the agency said, citing the WHO.
The comments came in response to a report about a product advertised as able to help smokers kick their addiction.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare categorized e-cigarettes as a regulated drug in 2009 under the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act (藥事法).
Anyone who manufactures or imports e-cigarettes that have not been registered and obtained regulatory approval could face a maximum prison sentence of 10 years and a maximum fine of NT$10 million (US$333,600).
Anyone convicted of knowingly selling unapproved e-cigarettes could face up to seven years in prison and a maximum fine of NT$5 million, the agency said.
The report contravened the pharmaceutical act by claiming that the product, which has not been registered, alleviates tobacco addiction, it added.
The company that placed the advertisement could face a fine ranging from NT$600,000 to NT$25 million, the agency said.
By law, unapproved e-cigarettes used in public indoor places can be confiscated by local health authorities.
Since the vapor from e-cigarettes poses a potential health risk to both users and others nearby, the Indoor Air Quality Management Act (室內空氣品質管理法) allows authorities to impose penalties on managers of the sites where e-cigarettes are used.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
RSS