New Taipei City is on Friday next week to promulgate a citywide ban on e-cigarette use in venues where smoking is prohibited, city officials said on Thursday, adding that the ban would take effect two days after promulgation.
The ordinance, which would also ban the production of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, has been approved by the Executive Yuan, the New Taipei City Department of Health said.
Businesses that breach the ordinance would be fined up to NT$100,000 and have their license revoked, it said.
Photo courtesy the New Taipei City Department of Health
Businesses that sell the prohibited items or their components to minors would face additional fines of up to NT$50,000, it added.
Nicotine inhaled through e-cigarettes is addictive and harmful to people’s health, New Taipei City Department of Health Director Chen Ran-chou (陳潤秋) said.
From 2018 to last year, the share of Taiwanese adults who used e-cigarettes increased almost threefold, from 0.6 percent to 1.7 percent, she said.
Authorities recorded 208 cases of minors using e-cigarettes from January last year to last month, she added.
Fines for e-cigarette use in the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act (菸害防制法), from NT$1,000 to NT$3,000, are insufficient and several people who appealed their fines in court have had them repealed, she said.
The ordinance would close loopholes in the law, she said, adding that it would also prohibit advertising for and the importation of the items.
People who are found to use e-cigarettes in areas where smoking is banned would be fined up to NT$10,000, she said.
Smokers who want to quit should seek help from specialists or call the 0800-636-363 hotline, she said.
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