By Timothy s. Donahue
Top Takeaways:
- Vape imports surge: E-cigarette imports jumped from 994 units in 2022 to 448,086 in 2025, exposing gaps in Bhutan’s 2010 tobacco law.
- Youth use in focus: National Health Survey 2023 found 31.4% overall tobacco use, with 17.7% of users also vaping.
- Fourth amendment underway: Lawmakers aim to clarify enforcement, set product standards and strengthen protections for minors.
Bhutan’s National Council and the Bhutan Food and Drug Authority (BFDA) are reviewing the country’s Tobacco Control Act to better regulate emerging nicotine products, such as electronic cigarettes and other vaping devices, amid rising imports and youth use.
The proposed amendments aim to close enforcement gaps, clarify agency roles, and align Bhutan’s framework with its obligations under the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC)
Imports of e-cigarettes and related vaping devices rose sharply from 994 units in 2022 to 448,086 units in 2025, with a declared value of Nu 48.45 million, according to Bhutan Trade Statistics. The surge has exposed regulatory blind spots in a law enacted in 2010, before products such as e-cigarettes, synthetic nicotine, and flavored tobacco were widely available.
Kelzang Wangdi, chief program officer at the BFDA’s Controlled Substances and Medical Device Division, said the amendments are intended to “regulate emerging nicotine and non-nicotine products more clearly” and to introduce safety and quality standards, including limits on nicotine content.
He noted that when the original law was passed, “products such as e-cigarettes, synthetic nicotine, and flavored tobacco were not widespread,” creating enforcement challenges today.
Phub Dorji, chairperson of the National Council’s Social and Cultural Affairs Committee, emphasized that the review is not about reinstating a ban. “With this absent from the act, enforcement has faced difficulties in imposing penalties,” he said, adding that lawmakers are responding to the growing use of e-cigarettes, vapes, flavored tobacco, and synthetic nicotine products.
The National Council recently met with officials from the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Employment, the Office of the Attorney General, and the Royal Bhutan Police to examine enforcement gaps and discuss stronger controls. The discussions covered the proliferation of vaping products, substandard tobacco products, penalties, and cessation strategies.
The reform push follows findings from Bhutan’s National Health Survey 2023, which reported an overall tobacco use prevalence of 31.4 percent. Among those aged 15 to 24, prevalence was 29.2 percent, with an average initiation age of 18.2 years. The survey also found that 17.7 percent of tobacco users use vaping products, rising to 20.2 percent among young adults.
Wangdi said that ambiguities in sales to minors, fragmented penalty provisions, and the lack of a comprehensive product quality control system have hindered effective enforcement. The proposed amendments would consolidate offenses and penalties, introduce clearer product definitions, establish explicit protections for minors, and set defined compliance obligations for importers and retailers.
The BFDA said it plans to support implementation through inspections, market surveillance, periodic surveys, and enhanced data sharing across agencies.
This marks the fourth amendment to Bhutan’s tobacco law since its adoption in 2010. In July 2021, Bhutan lifted a nationwide tobacco sales ban that had been in place since 2004, citing the need to curb illicit trade and address pandemic-related public health concerns.
Since then, the country has imported tobacco products worth Nu 766.57 million (US$8.4 million) over four years, compared with Nu 453.43 million in 2021 alone, according to trade data.
As vape imports accelerate and youth usage remains elevated, Bhutan’s regulators are now moving to ensure the law keeps pace with a market that looks very different from the one lawmakers envisioned in 2010.
