Lawmakers yesterday approved the third reading of proposed amendments to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act (菸害防治法), which would require heated tobacco products (HTPs) to comply with the law, ban e-cigarettes and raise the legal age for buying cigarettes to 20.
People who use HTPs or e-cigarettes that are not approved by authorities would face a fine of NT$2,000 to NT$10,000 (US$65.66 to US$328.32), the amendments say.
Entities that sell or manufacture such products would be required to present samples of their products and necessary components, such as heaters for HTPs, when submitting health risk assessment reports, according to the amendments.
Photo: CNA
Tobacco products and related devices cannot be advertised or promoted in any way, nor can distributors claim they have passed health risk assessments, they say.
The amendments place e-cigarettes in the “cigarette-like product” category, effectively banning their use as well as the sale, provision or manufacturing of their necessary components.
Those who manufacture, import, provide or advertise tobacco products, or non-approved HTPs, would face fines of NT$10 million to NT$50 million, the amendments say.
Offenders who are not business owners would be fined NT$50,000 to NT$5 million, they say.
People who incur fines would be granted a grace period, after which they could be fined for repeat offenses, according to the amendments.
The amendments also ratify the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, and forbid tobacco companies or the manufacturers of necessary components from donating directly or indirectly to events, natural or legal persons or groups to promote or advertise their products.
Tobacco products must contain warning labels that cover at least half of the packaging, they say.
The amendments also ban smoking around all schools and childcare facilities.
The clauses on e-cigarettes and HTPs are to take effect one month after the amendments’ contents are announced to the public.
The clauses on vapes with additional flavors as well as regulations on packaging are to take effect one year after the amendments are announced.
FIREPOWER: On top of the torpedoes, the military would procure Kestrel II anti-tank weapons systems to replace aging license-produced M72 LAW launchers Taiwan is to receive US-made Mark 48 torpedoes and training simulators over the next three years, following delays that hampered the navy’s operational readiness, the Ministry of National Defense’s latest budget proposal showed. The navy next year would acquire four training simulator systems for the torpedoes and take receipt of 14 torpedoes in 2027 and 10 torpedoes in 2028, the ministry said in its budget for the next fiscal year. The torpedoes would almost certainly be utilized in the navy’s two upgraded Chien Lung-class submarines and the indigenously developed Hai Kun, should the attack sub successfully reach operational status. US President Donald Trump
TPP RALLY: The clashes occurred near the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall on Saturday at a rally to mark the anniversary of a raid on former TPP chairman Ko Wen-je People who clashed with police at a Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) rally in Taipei on Saturday would be referred to prosecutors for investigation, said the Ministry of the Interior, which oversees the National Police Agency. Taipei police had collected evidence of obstruction of public officials and coercion by “disorderly” demonstrators, as well as contraventions of the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法), the ministry said in a statement on Sunday. It added that amid the “severe pushing and jostling” by some demonstrators, eight police officers were injured, including one who was sent to hospital after losing consciousness, allegedly due to heat stroke. The Taipei
NO LIVERPOOL TRIP: Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, who won a gold medal in the boxing at the Paris Olympics, was embroiled in controversy about her gender at that event Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting (林郁婷) will not attend this year’s World Boxing Championships in Liverpool, England, due to a lack of response regarding her sex tests from the organizer, World Boxing. The national boxing association on Monday said that it had submitted all required tests to World Boxing, but had not received a response as of Monday, the departure day for the championships. It said the decision for Lin to skip the championships was made to protect its athletes, ensuring they would not travel to the UK without a guarantee of participation. Lin, who won a gold medal in the women’s 57kg boxing
The US has revoked Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) authorization to freely ship essential gear to its main Chinese chipmaking base, potentially curtailing its production capabilities at that older-generation facility. American officials recently informed TSMC of their decision to end the Taiwanese chipmaker’s so-called validated end user (VEU) status for its Nanjing site. The action mirrors steps the US took to revoke VEU designations for China facilities owned by Samsung Electronics Co and SK Hynix Inc. The waivers are set to expire in about four months. “TSMC has received notification from the US Government that our VEU authorization for TSMC Nanjing