Government attitudes toward vaping and nicotine vary. In the United Kingdom, vaping is essentially encouraged by government health agencies. Because smoking creates a costly burden for the UK’s National Health Service, the country stands to save lives and money if smokers switch to e-cigarettes. Show Many other countries also allow a regulated vaping market, but are less enthusiastic about the practice. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has had authority over vapor products since 2016, but has refused to create a plain system of standards for e-cigarettes and e-liquids. In recent years, some U.S. states have imposed flavor and online sales bans. Canada somewhat followed the U.K. model for a short time, but has recently imposed nicotine-strength limits and extreme flavor restrictions. There are more than 40 countries that have some type of ban on vaping—either on possession and use, sales, or importation, or a combination. What we have attempted here is to list U.S. state flavor and online sales bans, and the sales and use bans imposed in other countries. The FDA has federal authority to regulate vaping products. In September 2020 the agency began reviewing Premarket Tobacco Applications (PMTAs), and has signalled it will not authorize flavored products without extraordinary evidence. Whether the agency will be successful creating an unwritten standard that eliminates legal flavored products (except tobacco and menthol) may be determined by federal courts. Most vape bans in the U.S. happen at the state and local levels. And while a few California cities—notably San Francisco—have banned sales of all vaping products, most American vape restrictions involve flavors and online sales. There are only a few of each, despite the large number of vaping bans that have been proposed in state legislatures in recent years—proof that grassroots opposition can stop bad legislation. Arkansas – online sales ban California
– flavor ban (on hold until 2022) Maine – online sales ban Massachusetts – flavor ban New Jersey – flavor ban New York – flavor ban + online sales ban Oregon – online sales ban Rhode Island – flavor ban South Dakota – online sales ban Utah – online sales ban Vermont – online sales ban Major cities with flavor bans include Chicago, IL; Los Angeles (takes effect in 2023), San Diego, Sacramento, Oakland and San Jose, CA; and Boulder, CO. Hundreds of smaller cities and counties—mostly in California—have flavor bans, as do some larger cities whose bans have since been superseded by state bans (like New York City and Newark, NJ) Complete bans on vaping product sales have been adopted by San Francisco and some smaller California cities In some nations, vaping is completely illegal, including both sales and possession. Prohibition is most common in Asia, the Middle East, and South America. Australia has a bizarre prescription-only model for vaping products, and unauthorized importation can result in huge fines. In Japan, nicotine vaping products are illegal, but heated tobacco products like IQOS are completely legal and widely used. Some countries have outright bans on use and sales, others just ban sales, and some ban only nicotine-containing products. In many countries, the laws are ignored and black markets flourish. In others, they’re enforced (but those still have black markets too). If a country is not listed, vaping is either allowed and regulated, or there is no specific law governing e-cigarettes (as of now anyway). This isn’t meant as a definitive legal guide for traveling vapers. If you’re visiting an unfamiliar country you should first check with an up-to-date official source like your country’s state department, or the travel bureau of the country you’re visiting. Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Australia Bangladesh Bhutan Brazil Brunei
Darussalam Cambodia Chile Colombia East Timor Egypt Ethiopia Gambia Hong Kong India Iran Jamaica Japan Kuwait Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos) Lebanon Macau Malaysia Mauritius Mexico Myanmar Nepal Nicaragua North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) Oman Panama Qatar Seychelles Singapore Sri Lanka Suriname Syria Thailand Timor-Leste Turkey Turkmenistan Uganda United States Uruguay Vatican City Venezuela Our list is extensive, but maybe not definitive. Laws change frequently, and there is no central repository for information on worldwide vaping laws that is updated in real time. While our list includes some original research, these are the primary sources:
We welcome any new information you may have. If you know of a law that has changed, or a new regulation that affects our list, please make a comment and we will update the list. Can flavored vape juice be shipped to New York?Due to recent legislation, we will no longer be shipping flavored vapor products to NY State as of May 17, 2020. This applies to all flavors, including Menthol.
Are flavored vapes illegal in NY?New York State Department of Health Announces Statewide Ban of Flavored Nicotine Vapor Products Takes Effect Today.
Is there still a ban on flavored vape juice?U.S. bans on flavored vapes and online sales
Whether the agency will be successful creating an unwritten standard that eliminates legal flavored products (except tobacco and menthol) may be determined by federal courts. Most vape bans in the U.S. happen at the state and local levels.
Can you still order vape juice online?The simplest answer is YES, you can still buy vapes online and have them shipped by mail.
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