Macau’s Health Services will launch a public consultation between March 8 and April 8 on the revision of the tobacco control law, which has prohibited the sale and promotion of e-cigarettes since 2018.
The Macau government presented a bill on Friday proposing a ban on the possession and consumption of e-cigarettes, “given the risks associated with public health.”
Macau’s Health Services announced the launch of a public consultation, running from March 8 to April 8, on the revision of the tobacco prevention and control law.
Since 2018, the sale, advertising and promotion of e-cigarettes has already been banned in Macau. In 2022, the Chinese territory also prohibited the manufacture, distribution, import, export and transport of these devices.
However, the head of the Office for the Prevention and Control of Smoking and Alcoholism at the Health Services acknowledged that residents have continued to use e-cigarettes, which “due to their small size are easily concealed.”
“E-cigarettes are no better than traditional cigarettes. But with different flavours and different shapes, they are more appealing and manage to attract young consumers,” said Lam Chong.
“Some people, after a while, move on to smoking traditional cigarettes,” he added at a press conference.
The official also warned that e-cigarettes have been used “as a tool” for consuming illegal drugs, including a new synthetic drug known as “space oil.”
“The general population demands stronger enforcement regarding e-cigarette consumption,” the Health Services stated in the public consultation document.
“Space oil,” produced from the anaesthetic etomidate, is reported to have caused at least three deaths in the neighbouring region of Hong Kong. In Macau, the first seizure was made at a local school in October 2023. The substance is known in Hong Kong as the “zombie drug” because it can cause serious physical and mental harm, including addiction, memory loss, seizures, loss of consciousness and even death.
The Health Services noted that possession of e-cigarettes has already been banned in Singapore since 2018, and that Hong Kong will ban consumption in public places from April 30.
“We hope the revision can come into force next year, although there will be a transition period,” said Lam Chong.
Once in force, anyone caught in public with e-cigarettes will face a fine of up to 1,500 patacas (€160).
The bill also proposes banning the manufacture, distribution, import, export and transport into and out of Macau of nicotine pouches, herbal cigarettes, and tobacco or paste for water pipes.
The goal, Lam Chong explained, is to ban these alternative tobacco products — which are not covered by current legislation — “before they become widespread” in the territory, particularly among young consumers.
Read more about this topic: Government plans total ban on e-cigarettes in Macau
The official warned that manufacturers have misleadingly described these products as “tobacco-free,” “harmless” or “healthy substitutes” for conventional cigarettes.
Lam gave the example of smoking a water pipe for 45 to 60 minutes, which he said is “equivalent to smoking 100 cigarettes,” with “a greater amount of carbon monoxide.”
