Enforcement of a ban on electronic cigarettes has been lacking since the law was amended in 2023, with only a small percentage of cases resulting in fines, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Wan Mei-ling (萬美玲) said recently.
The Legislative Yuan passed an amendment to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act (菸害防制法) in March 2023 banning the sale, demonstration and use of e-cigarettes.
Since then, only 1,247 fines were issued out of 500,000 cases involving e-cigarettes, or only 0.25 percent, Wan said, citing data from the Health Promotion Administration.
Photo: Taipei Times
Of these 1,247 fines, 251 were for selling e-cigarettes, 619 were for selling heated tobacco devices and 404 were for illegal use, she said.
From July to September last year, police nationally tracked down 681 “zombie vapes,” which contain the anesthetic drug etomidate, at an average of 227 per month, she added.
E-cigarette products almost all contain nicotine, a highly addictive substance, Wan said.
Use of e-cigarettes impacts adolescent brain development, causes lung damage and increases the risk of cancer, she said.
The “zombie drug” etomidate, which has been classified as a Category 2 narcotic, is not only addictive, but also causes adrenal insufficiency and loss of concentration, potentially resulting in traffic accidents, she said.
Inspection and public awareness must be increased to prevent e-cigarettes and related drugs from affecting society, Wan said.
The Executive Yuan in response said that the High Prosecutors’ Office held meetings with the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of the Interior and Ministry of Digital Affairs on Nov. 13 and 21 last year to discuss the prevention and control of e-cigarettes.
For cases involving e-cigarettes laced with illegal drugs, anti-drug agencies have been urged to intensify their investigations, trace drug sources upstream and uncover drug use downstream, it said.
The Health Promotion Administration has held multiple meetings with online e-commerce and social media platforms to strengthen investigations into sellers of e-cigarette products, the Executive Yuan said.
The agency is also working with the Ministry of Digital Affairs to suspend illegal Web sites and with the Financial Supervisory Commission to identify sellers’ personal information and financial transactions, it added.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious
RSS