Delayed Ban on Sale of Non-Tobacco Flavored Vapes Set to Go Ahead on Oct 1

Attention China’s vaping community, this is not a drill! The delayed ban on the sale of non-tobacco flavored vapes is set to take effect on Oct 1. Yes, following a false alarm back in March, the day of reckoning is now actually about to arrive.  

News of the ban has been floating around since last December, when the government released a draft bill to the public that would effectively ban the sale of flavored vapes thought to “easily induce minors” to vape.

Then, in March the finalized version of the Administrative Measures for E-Cigarettes bill was released, prohibiting the sale of flavored e-cigarettes effective May 1. However, when the new standards were approved by the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) on Apr 8, the ban date was extended to Oct 1. 

The ban will prohibit the sale of all fruit-flavored e-cigarettes, open e-cigs, nicotine-free e-cigarettes and solid-state e-cigarettes, and shops will only be able to sell tobacco flavored vapes. Many vape users in China are probably already aware of the impending rule change, with various vape retailers such as RELX issuing reminders that there are only a few days left to buy flavored vapes.  

The new regulations come following the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration taking direct control of the vaping and e-cigarette industy. Previously, e-cigarettes were not regulated as a tobacco product and instead companies operated in a legal grey area which enabled it to grow into an RMB 8.3 billion (USD 1.3 billion) industry.

When the regulation was announced back in March, many hailed it as a positive change, with organisations such as Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids stating that it’s “the right move to protect Chinese kids from these addictive products.” However, skeptics have pointed towards possible negative implications of the ban, with a 2021 study from Yale School of Public Health suggesting it could make teenagers turn to conventional cigarettes instead. After all, fruit and menthol flavored cigarettes are still perfectly legal, and for some might be a more tempting option than a tobacco flavored vape. 

For now, there have been reports of many vape users preparing for the ban by stocking up on fruit flavors, with some shops saying they have already run out of stock on certain flavors. According to a report from Sina News, some vape retailers and dealers have also begun hoarding fruit flavors in preparation for illegal mark-up sales after Oct 1. It remains to be seen what the long term effects of these new vape regulations will be, but it looks like rough times ahead for China’s vaping community.

What do you think of the vaping ban? If you’re a vaper, how are you planning on dealing with the coming ban? Let us know in the comments below. 

READ: Beijing Road Restrictions Announced for National Holiday

Images: Relx, Katie Coy