The notion of vaping divides opinions; some governments are all for it due to the way in which it reduces the number of smokers. Others feel that it’s just a new thing to be addicted to that’s equally as bad, if not worse, than cigarettes.
According to Dispergo In the US, the Food and Drug Administration has had authority over vapor products since 2016; however, it’s reluctant to craft a clear system of standards for e-liquids and e-cigarettes. Despite this, some states have imposed online sales and flavor bans. After reviewing the Premarket Tobacco Applications in 2020, the FDA claimed it won’t authorize flavored products without substantial evidence of their positive impact.
California
Currently, California bans the in-store sales of vaping products that are any other flavor than tobacco. Statewide, there’s nothing in place to prevent individuals from ordering flavored vaping products online; however, some local laws can also ban these. The statewide ban was approved on 8 November 2022, and it’s still being challenged in court. Despite this, on 12 December, an injunction was refused by the Supreme Court; this would have halted the law until the lawsuit was settled.
Oregon
The online sale of vapes in Oregon is banned unless this takes place between licensed businesses.
Utah
As with Oregon, online sales of vapes in Utah aren’t permitted unless it’s among licensed businesses.
South Dakota
It’s not permitted to ship tobacco products (including vapes) throughout South Dakota.
Georgia
When it comes to transactions of vaping products in Georgia, it can only take place on a face-to-face basis. This means that online sales aren’t allowed.
New York
As of April 2020, flavored vaping products aren’t allowed to be sold in New York. On top of this, vaping products aren’t permitted to be sold online.
Arkansas
Arkansas has a number of tobacco permits, which means that businesses are only allowed to carry out face-to-face transactions of vaping products. This means that the online sale of vaping products isn’t permitted.
Maine
Unless it’s between licensed businesses, the online sale of vaping products can’t take place.
Hawaii
From 1 July 2024, the sale of vaping products shipped from outside the state will be prohibited. This is unless it’s done so by licensed retailers.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts first passed a statewide flavor ban in late 2019, and this refers to all tobacco products. As a result, the sale of any vape flavor that isn’t tobacco is prohibited.
Vermont
The online sale of vaping products is now banned in Vermont unless carried out between licensed businesses.
New Jersey
All flavors of vape products are banned in New Jersey, apart from tobacco flavors. Despite this, menthol cigarettes remain unbanned, as this would result in the state losing too much tax revenue. So, flavored vaping products in New Jersey are banned, and there’s a higher tax on vaping products overall; however, the 20 mg/ml nicotine strength limit was vetoed.
Rhode Island
The governor of Rhode Island, in March 2020, bypassed the state legislature and used the Department of Health to permanently ban all vape flavors aside from tobacco.
The Rest of the World
The US isn’t the only country with its qualms about vaping devices. In fact, some countries, such as Cambodia, East Timor, Laos, Myanmar, Nicaragua, North Korea, Palau, Qatar, Singapore, Syria, Taiwan, and Vatican City, have all banned vaping products altogether.
Additionally, there are numerous countries that adopt the notion of vapes being legal to use; however, they’re illegal to sell. This includes Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bhutan, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Hong Kong (a Special Administrative Region of China), India, Iran, Jamaica, Japan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Macau (a Special Administrative Region of China), Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Nepal, Norway, Oman, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Uganda, and Venezuela.
Australia and Bangladesh
There are also, of course, some exceptions to the most common rules concerning vaping. For instance, in Australia, it’s legal to use vaping products; however, it’s illegal to possess nicotine without a doctor’s prescription. In fact, illegally importing nicotine is punishable by fines of up to $222,000. As with the US, the laws surrounding vaping in Australia can vary from state to state; however, the penalties for possession still remain relatively severe.
What’s more, as it stands, Bangladesh has no current regulations or laws that are specific to vaping. Despite this, the country did claim that in 2021, the tobacco control law will undergo an update. The update is likely to be an outright ban on the sale of e-cigarettes, but this could obviously all change when the law actually takes effect.
The UK
The nation that is perhaps the most enthusiastic about vape products is the UK due to the strain that smoking puts on its healthcare services. Smoking is the primary cause of preventable illness and premature death in the UK, accounting for 74,600 deaths annually in England. What’s more, in 2019-20, among adults aged 35 and over, upwards of half a million hospital admissions were attributable to smoking. In fact, this accounts for four percent of all hospital admissions in that specific age group. Consequently, the National Health Service is said to spend around £2.5 billion annually on treating smoking-related illnesses.
It’s for the above reasons that the UK is quite keen to promote the effectiveness of vaping as a means of quitting smoking. While vaping hasn’t been around for the same length of time as smoking, meaning we have no way of knowing about its long-term effects, current findings suggest that it’s the better alternative. This is because vapes don’t contain cancerous chemicals; instead, nicotine is added to e-liquids to satisfy the cravings of ex-smokers. Unlike with cigarettes, the nicotine levels can be controlled by the user, allowing ex-smokers to slowly wean themselves off nicotine. This isn’t to say that the UK is keen for non-smokers to pick up vaping as a habit, as it’s still far from healthy; it’s just the better alternative to cigarette smoking.