Hong Kong’s leader has proposed banning sales of ecigarettes in the latest move to control the products touted as a method to help smokers quit.
“I propose a total ban on electronic cigarettes for protecting the health of our citizens, particularly children and teenagers,” chief executive Carrie Lam said in her policy address on Wednesday.
Ecigarettes are often marketed as a method to help smokers quit smoking by providing nicotine in non-combustible form, such as vapour, that does not contain harmful tar or carbon monoxide. But evidence of their efficacy has been brought into question by the World Health Organisation and there are fears the products appeal to children.