The possession and use of e-cigarette cartridges in public places are expected to be banned starting from mid-2026, Hong Kong’s health minister has said, with the government aiming to submit the relevant bill to the legislature in two months.
Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau also said on Sunday that the bill would cover a sales ban on flavoured tobacco. However, authorities had preliminarily suggested allowing arrivals, including residents, to bring up to 20 packs of duty-paid flavoured tobacco cigarettes for individual use.
Health authorities aim to outlaw the personal possession of alternative tobacco products such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, in addition to the ban on the import, promotion, manufacturing, sale or possession for commercial purposes imposed in 2022.
Lo said the government planned to first prohibit possessing and using e-cigarette cartridges in public places in mid-2026 before the second stage of a citywide ban.
The staged implementation was to “deal with the difficulties of enforcement. We will start with public places as they are relatively easier to define”, he said on a television programme.
“There are a lot of enforcement issues when it comes to indoor areas.”
