The Health Promotion Administration yesterday proposed an amendment to tighten regulations on electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products.
The proposal to amend the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act (菸害防制法) would allow for the direct confiscation and destruction of illegal products and enhance online supervision of their sale, Tobacco Control Division head Lo Su-ying (羅素英) said.
After receiving feedback, the agency would submit the proposal to the Executive Yuan for review on Tuesday next week, Lo said, adding that the amendment was on an accelerated timeline due to the urgent need to bolster regulations.
Photo: Cheng Ming-hsiang, Taipei Times
The act was amended on March 23, 2023, to prohibit the manufacture, importation, sale, display, advertisement and use of e-cigarettes and unapproved heated tobacco products.
As of Jan. 31, 610,000 contraventions of the act had been recorded, including 654 cases involving e-cigarettes and 2,606 involving heated tobacco, 1,063 cases of illegal use and 150 cases involving 22 different social media and e-commerce platforms, the agency said.
The resulting fines totaled NT$370 million (US$11.24 million), it said.
Current regulations do not permit the direct confiscation of e-cigarettes or heated tobacco products, meaning they must be returned to the owner even if fines are imposed, Lo said.
The amendment would close that loophole, facilitating the accelerated confiscation and destruction of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, she said.
The proposal also stipulates Internet service providers must remove illegal advertisements and restrict access to related content, she said.
Failure to remove content or cooperate with investigations would result in penalties, she said.
There have been cases of drugs being added to e-cigarettes, showing that the products not only affect personal health, but can also cause societal problems, Lo said.
The proposed amendment would enhance supervision to prevent the illegal products from circulating, she said.
Although 11 heated tobacco businesses have applied for a health risk assessment, so far none have passed the review, she said.
The review process is strictly based on scientific evidence and health standards, she said.
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