By Timothy S. Donahue

Top Takeaways:

Total vape ban proposed: Macau officials are proposing to ban the possession and use of e-cigarettes.
Public consultation underway: Authorities will hold a public consultation from March 8 to April 8 as part of a broader revision of tobacco control laws.
Broader nicotine crackdown: The proposal would also ban nicotine pouches, herbal cigarettes and hookah/shisha products.

Macau authorities are considering a broad expansion of the territory’s tobacco control law that would ban the possession and use of e-cigarettes.

The proposed changes were announced as part of a broader revision of Macau’s tobacco prevention and control laws. The government’s Health Services bureau said it will hold a public consultation from March 8 to April 8 before finalizing the bill.

Macau banned the sale, advertising, and promotion of e-cigarettes in 2018, and in 2022 prohibited their manufacture, distribution, import, export, and transport. Despite these restrictions, officials say that devices are still in use throughout the territory.

“E-cigarettes are no better than traditional cigarettes,” said Lam Chong, head of the Office for the Prevention and Control of Smoking and Alcoholism at Macau’s Health Services. “With different flavours and shapes, they are more appealing and manage to attract young consumers.”

Under the proposal, individuals caught possessing or using e-cigarettes in public could face fines of up to $185 (1,500 patacas). The draft legislation would also expand restrictions to include several alternative nicotine and tobacco products that are not currently covered by Macau’s tobacco laws.

These products include nicotine pouches, herbal cigarettes, and tobacco or paste used for water pipes, which officials say they want to ban before they become popular among young users. Lam said authorities are also concerned that vaping devices may be used to consume illegal substances, including a synthetic drug known as “space oil,” derived from the anesthetic etomidate.