The Yilan County Government is drafting an ordinance that would restrict vaping to those aged 18 or older and subject e-cigarettes to the same regulations as normal cigarettes.
Draft amendments to the Tobacco Hazard Prevention Act (菸害防治法), which would ban imports and sales of e-cigarettes and restrict their use, are still under review at the Legislative Yuan.
According to the Yilan proposal, people found to have used e-cigarettes in areas where smoking is illegal would be fined between NT$2,000 and NT$10,000, while underage vapers would be ordered to take corrective courses.
People who provide e-cigarettes to underage people would be fined NT$10,000 to NT$50,000, amounts that would also apply to people found to have provided e-cigarettes or related items in restricted areas.
The draft ordinance would follow Article 15 of the act, defining schools, libraries, museums, hospitals and other medical establishments, government offices, indoor spaces and public transportation as areas where smoking is banned, the county government said.
Signs should be displayed near entrances of such areas to explain that smoking and vaping are banned there, the draft says.
Additives that provide distinctive flavors and the absence of the cigarette aftersmell has made vaping popular among young people, Yilan Bureau of Health Director Hsu Nai-wei (徐迺維) said.
However, vaping liquids contain a significant amount of nicotine, as well as trace amounts of nitrosamine and propylene glycol, and can still be addictive, Hsu said, adding that in severe cases, vaping can cause permanent brain damage.
The county government said it hopes to promulgate the ordinances, which are being reviewed by the county council, this year.
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