New International Vaping Laws 2023

Vaping is still regarded as a new practice around the world, and many countries are prohibiting the use of vapes in public. Governmental attitudes towards vaping and vape related products vary around the world – which is something to take into account when travelling. While some countries allow regulated vaping markets, around 40 countries have implemented bans on vaping. Here is what we know about international vaping laws and travelling with your vape in 2023.

Why Are There So Many Different Laws On Vaping Products?

Vaping has become increasingly popular over the past few years as a healthier alternative to smoking. As the concern for using traditional cigarettes has increased, vaping has been put in the spotlight for its ability to deliver nicotine without any of the harmful byproducts found in traditional cigarettes. 

The vaping industry has expanded to include a variety of different devices, flavoured e-liquids, and device modifications. Although these aspects make the switch from smoking to vaping easier, many countries have become concerned about how vaping products are presented to the public as this may attract new or underaged users that have never smoked before.

Different countries have taken unique approaches to try and curb non-smokers from using vaping products. These approaches include the ban of certain vape flavours, banning vaping products all together, the implementation of fines, or the ban of vaping in general.

Although this places strain on the vaping market and users alike, specific states and countries believe that their approach is the best way to keep people safe and remove the temptation of using such products, even if it does not allow for smokers to make the healthier switch. 

U.S. Bans On Online Sales And Flavoured Vapes

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has the federal authority to regulate vaping products in the United States. They have signalled that flavoured e-liquids will not be permitted as it attracts more users instead of simply helping ex-smokers to find a healthier alternative. 

Therefore, tobacco and menthol flavoured e-liquids are more than often the only flavours distributed in most states, although federal courts and local legislators have the right to implement their own regulations.

U.S Online Sales Bans

Many states are concerned about how easy it has become to gain access to vaping products, especially for the youth. Therefore, some states have completely banned the online sale of vaping products. These states include:

• Arkansas
• Georgia
• Maine
• New York
• Oregon
• South Dakota 
• Utah
• Vermont

U.S. Flavour Bans

The FDA has stated that selling vaping products that are flavoured appeals to a wider audience than those who simply want to make the switch from smoking to vaping. This has led some states to ban the sale of flavoured e-liquids and only permit the sale of tobacco and menthol flavoured e-liquids. States with flavour bans include:

• California
• Massachusetts
• New Jersey
• New York
• Rhode Island

U.S Complete Sales Bans

San Francisco and California have implemented full bans on the sale of any vaping products. This is believed to be implemented to prevent non-smokers from vaping. Although this poses a significant issue for those who want to switch from smoking to vaping, these states believe that it is more beneficial to prevent the spread of vaping products.

Vaping In Europe

The majority of cities in Europe allow vaping, but these products have a heavy taxation rate. This makes vaping products quite expensive in these areas, an incentive to curb the rate of new users.

Countries in Europe where vaping is permitted:

• UK
• France
• Germany
• Italy
• Greece
• Spain
• Portugal
• Croatia
• Netherlands
• Ireland
• Russia
• Denmark
• Sweden
• Finland
• Turkey (sales ban)
• Norway
• Austria
• Belarus
• Iceland
• Hungary
• Malta
• Belgium
• Czech Republic
• Poland
• Switzerland
• Ukraine
• Romania
• Serbia
• Bulgaria
• Slovakia
• Lithuania (ban on flavoured e-liquids)

Countries With Bans On The Sale And Or The Use Of Vaping Products

Some nations have implemented laws and regulations that include a complete ban on the sale and possession of vaping products. Other countries permit the use of vaping products, but have imposed bans on the sale of these products. 

Some general observations concerning the ban of vaping products:

• Prohibition is most common in the Middle East, Asia, and South America
• Australia has a prescription-only policy on the sale of vaping products
• Nicotine vaping products are illegal in Japan, but heated tobacco products are legal and widely used

Countries Where Vaping Products Are Legal To Use But Illegal To Sell

If you are travelling, there are some countries where you are allowed to bring your vaping products along, but you will not be able to purchase any vaping products. These countries include:

• Antigua 
• Argentina
• Barbuda
• Bhutan
• Brazil
• Brunei Darussalam
• Chile
• Colombia
• Egypt
• Ethiopia
• Gambia
• Hong Kong 
• India
• Iran
• Jamaica
• Japan
• Kuwait
• Lebanon
• Malaysia
• Mauritius
• Mexico
• Nepal
• Oman
• Panama
• Seychelles
• Sri Lanka
• Suriname
• Thailand
• Timor-Leste
• Turkey
• Turkmenistan
• Uganda
• United States
• Uruguay
• Venezuela (unless approved for medicinal purposes)

Countries That Have A Complete Ban On Vaping And The Sale Of Products

There are some countries that have a complete ban on the sale, possession, and use of vaping products. If you are looking to travel to any of the following countries, you will not be able to bring any vaping products along with you:

• Cambodia
• East Timor
• Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos)
• Macau
• Myanmar
• Nicaragua
• North Korea
• Qatar
• Singapore
• Syria
• Taiwan
• Vatican City

When travelling, it is always a good idea to check which countries or states permit the use of vaping products and the sale thereof. This way, you know if you should stack up on your vaping products so they last your whole trip or if you should plan on going without vaping for a while. Some countries/states have much more stringent rules on vaping than others, so you will need to make sure about the specific rules before you start your travels.

Be sure to check out Vaperite for more of the latest devices, informative articles, e-liquids, and vaping accessories to fully optimize your vaping experience. We encourage safe vaping and make sure to provide users with the best products to enjoy every single vaping session. Take your vaping experience to the next level with Vaperite.