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Vape and Vaping
www.theguardian.com
More than 13 tonnes of disposable vapes with a street value of $4.5m have been seized by Australian Border Force officers. The 150,000 disposable vapes found in air cargo consignments in Adelaide comprise the first large-scale seizure since the ban on the importation of disposable single-use vapes came into effect on 1 January.
ecigator.com
A December 2022 regulation from Indonesia’s Finance Ministry created a dedicated 10% excise tax on e-cigarettes and vape liquids alongside around 10% increased levies on traditional cigarettes. Justification cites leveling the playing field across nicotine categories. This policy aligns with recent stern government health warnings over emerging vaping risks – including official declarations equating e-cigarette hazards to smoking despite contrary global evidence. Some public health experts argue Indonesia should instead tax cigarettes higher given indisputable links to disease and applying similar cost deterrence measures against reduced risk alternatives illogically implies risk equivalence.
The U.K. is taking steps to ban disposable vapes in an effort to protect children’s health, responding to the rising use among teenagers. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced on Monday the plan to ban disposable vapes to protect children’s health. Even though selling any vape to individuals under 18 is already prohibited, the government believes that the disposable nature, diverse flavors, and distinctive appearance of recently introduced products in the U.K. market are significant factors contributing to the alarming increase in youth vaping. There has been a threefold increase in the number of children using vapes over the past three years, according to recent data shared by the U.K. government. Among younger children, the trend is also on the rise, with 9% of 11 to 15-year-olds currently using vapes.