MOHW Plans to Study Generational Smoking Ban; Civic Groups Urge Inclusion of All Novel Tobacco Products
Following the UK's passage of a generational smoking ban, Taiwan's MOHW is studying its implementation. Civic groups support a "smoke-free generation" but urge the ban to include e-cigarettes and heated tobacco, criticizing the UK model's loophole.
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- 📰 Published: April 24, 2026 at 18:55
- 🔍 Collected: April 24, 2026 at 19:32 (36 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 24, 2026 at 21:44 (2h 11m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(CNA Reporter Shen Pei-chi, Taipei, 24th) The UK has passed a "generational smoking ban" law. The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) stated it will further study the matter. Civic groups are pleased and appealed today to promote a "smoke-free generation," urging that the lifetime smoking ban for youth should not only cover traditional cigarettes but also include all novel tobacco products, such as heated tobacco.
According to foreign media reports, the UK Parliament recently passed a major bill dictating that anyone born after January 1, 2009, will be permanently banned from purchasing tobacco products in the future.
In response, MOHW Minister Shih Chung-liang publicly stated at the Legislative Yuan yesterday that the adult smoking rate has already significantly decreased through measures like smoke-free venues. Whether to introduce a generational smoking ban still requires social consensus, and the Health Promotion Administration will study it further.
The Taiwan Reject Tobacco Alliance issued a press release today pointing out that many believe the UK's new generation lifetime ban is a fatal blow to multinational tobacco companies, but "the truth may not be so." This is because the new generation lifetime smoking ban promoted by the UK government adopts an approach of "banning cigarettes for life, but keeping e-cigarettes."
Lin Ching-li, Director of the Tobacco Control Center at the John Tung Foundation, stated that the world's largest tobacco companies are also manufacturers of novel tobacco products like e-cigarettes and heated tobacco. Since as early as 2017, they have actively marketed strategies such as "tobacco harm reduction" and "using e-cigarettes to replace traditional cigarettes" precisely to promote their higher-profit novel tobacco products and expand their nicotine addiction market.
Wang Han-yang, Chairman of the National Alliance of Presidents of Parents Association, emphasized that to prevent the younger generation from being chained by nicotine addiction and enchanted by e-cigarette marketing, Taiwan has already banned e-cigarettes. Parent groups have an inescapable duty to support the government in promoting a "smoke-free generation." Not only traditional cigarettes, but also e-cigarettes, heated tobacco, nicotine pouches, and all novel tobacco products that exist now or may appear in the future must be banned to truly protect the next generation from nicotine harm.
The Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act was amended and implemented on March 22, 2023, comprehensively banning tobacco-like products such as e-cigarettes, and strictly regulating novel tobacco products that meet the definition of tobacco, such as heated tobacco. It added a health risk assessment review mechanism, requiring products to pass the review before they can be manufactured, imported, or sold. (Editor: Kuan Chung-wei)
(CNA Reporter Shen Pei-chi, Taipei, 24th) The UK has passed a "generational smoking ban" law. The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) stated it will further study the matter. Civic groups are pleased and appealed today to promote a "smoke-free generation," urging that the lifetime smoking ban for youth should not only cover traditional cigarettes but also include all novel tobacco products, such as heated tobacco.
According to foreign media reports, the UK Parliament recently passed a major bill dictating that anyone born after January 1, 2009, will be permanently banned from purchasing tobacco products in the future.
In response, MOHW Minister Shih Chung-liang publicly stated at the Legislative Yuan yesterday that the adult smoking rate has already significantly decreased through measures like smoke-free venues. Whether to introduce a generational smoking ban still requires social consensus, and the Health Promotion Administration will study it further.
The Taiwan Reject Tobacco Alliance issued a press release today pointing out that many believe the UK's new generation lifetime ban is a fatal blow to multinational tobacco companies, but "the truth may not be so." This is because the new generation lifetime smoking ban promoted by the UK government adopts an approach of "banning cigarettes for life, but keeping e-cigarettes."
Lin Ching-li, Director of the Tobacco Control Center at the John Tung Foundation, stated that the world's largest tobacco companies are also manufacturers of novel tobacco products like e-cigarettes and heated tobacco. Since as early as 2017, they have actively marketed strategies such as "tobacco harm reduction" and "using e-cigarettes to replace traditional cigarettes" precisely to promote their higher-profit novel tobacco products and expand their nicotine addiction market.
Wang Han-yang, Chairman of the National Alliance of Presidents of Parents Association, emphasized that to prevent the younger generation from being chained by nicotine addiction and enchanted by e-cigarette marketing, Taiwan has already banned e-cigarettes. Parent groups have an inescapable duty to support the government in promoting a "smoke-free generation." Not only traditional cigarettes, but also e-cigarettes, heated tobacco, nicotine pouches, and all novel tobacco products that exist now or may appear in the future must be banned to truly protect the next generation from nicotine harm.
The Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act was amended and implemented on March 22, 2023, comprehensively banning tobacco-like products such as e-cigarettes, and strictly regulating novel tobacco products that meet the definition of tobacco, such as heated tobacco. It added a health risk assessment review mechanism, requiring products to pass the review before they can be manufactured, imported, or sold. (Editor: Kuan Chung-wei)