Legal status of e-cigarettes worldwide
Let’s face it, e-cigarettes has been controversial since their very beginnings. Not only in the USA but all over the world differences have raised regarding how to classify e-cigarettes. This new technology is creating confusion whether they are related to tobacco products and their laws or electronic cigarettes falls under medical drug policies.
For instance, some countries have banned electronic cigarettes all together.
- Australia views the sale of e-cigarettes as illegal
- Canada banned all imports, sales, and advertising related to electronic cigarettes
- Brazil founds electronic cigarettes no yet satisfactory to approve this product for commercialization. There are no sales, importation or advertisement of any kind for e-cigs, and the decision was made by ANVISA (National Health Surveillance Agency)
- Panama decided to banned e-cigarettes imports, distribution and sales, following the FDA advice
- Singapore considers e-cigarettes illegal, even for personal consumption
- Thailand opted to ban all sale or importation of e-cigs
However, other countries have different views on the subject of e-cigarettes. For example:
- Austria considers electronic cigarettes as medical devices
- Denmark, the Danish Medicine Agency classifies e-cigs containing nicotine as medical products. Meaning they fall under the medical drug policy and they can be marketed and sold.
- Netherlands allows the use and sale of e-cigarettes but advertising is prohibited
- New Zealand’s Ministry of Health ruled Ruyan e-cigs under the Medicines Act and they cannot be sold without a prescription
- United Kingdom wants to get all nicotine products under the medicines licensing rule. At present, e-cigarettes are sold without restrictions.
- In the USA, electronic cigarettes sale and distribution is very common. Nevertheless, in March 2010, Federal Judge ruled against their ban. Several states are trying to ban e-cigarettes, but so far their efforts have been futile. Take for example Illinois’s Bill SB3174. The bill died when Naomi Jakobsson removed her name as a co-sponsor.
It doesn’t matter where you are from; we all have almost the same issues about electronic cigarettes. For some people e-cigs are bad things and for users like us they are a great device. I just want our governments to work on creating new legislation and make a decision about how to categorize these smoking devices. Perhaps, it may be wise to create a whole new category for e-cigarettes instead of trying to put them in one square box. After all, this is smoking 2.0.
Agree ! It is smoking 2.0 . In many countries currend position of electronic cigarette is ” legal to use illegal to import into”. Only can not understand countries like Turkey , for example, where electronic cigarette is totally banned.