Government aims to further regulate smoking after ban on alternative tobacco products

The Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office says it has issued 51 fine notices since the implementation of the ban on alternative smoking products in April. The fixed fine penalty is 3,000 dollars.

The prohibition has taken effect since April 30th. Under the Tobacco Control Legislation, individuals are not permitted to possess an alternative smoking product, such as e-cigarette capsules, herbal cigarettes and heat sticks, in public areas.

Speaking on a radio programme, the Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office says authorities issued 51 fixed fine notices to offenders as of the end of May.

Separately, the government is planning to implement a plain packaging requirement and duty stamp system for traditional tobacco products starting from March 2027. While the former measure will uniform the design and packaging requirements of cigarette products, the latter aims to distinguish duty-paid products from illicit ones.

Some newspaper vendors say the measures will affect their business, but the office stresses that authorities will continue

to strengthen their regulatory actions against tobacco products.

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health urges the government to start regulating the usage of cigarette machines.

Referring to the words of a school principal, who compares the existing ban on alternative tobacco products to a ban on bullets but not guns, the council says further education on the relevant topics is needed.