Tobacco controllers in China have been frowning at the use of e-cigarettes and if they have their way, it can lead to the ban of the product from public access and use. Vaping was started and China and quitting it could be a deadly policy that will only aggravate the smoking problem currently facing the nation.
Recently, an arm of China Central Television (CCTV), China Global Television Network have broadcasted the proposed “comprehensive awareness and control” of vaping products. This initiative has been largely ignored by the Chinese government before now.
The president of Beijing Control Association, Zhang Jianshu said on CGTV that “the use of tobacco products should be prohibited from public places and relevant departments should try to regulate and control the use of e-cigarettes.”
The United State classified e-cigarettes as tobacco products but this is not the case in China
The number of smokers in China is approximately 300 million which is almost similar to the number in the United States. Although there is a public ban on Smoking in China; still the state-owned China National Tobacco Company remains the world’s largest cigarette manufacturers. Most men in China smoke cigarettes and a million Chinese citizens die from smoking-related diseases on a yearly basis.
There are no laws or regulations guiding the production and sale of e-cigarettes in China and the products are not classified as tobacco products as they are in the United States. The product only came into the public eye after the plane of an Air China passenger almost crashed and evidences of vaping were covered in the cockpit.
The vast majority of vaping hardware is produced in China, especially in the city of Shenzhen and the first developer of e-cigarettes was Hon Lik, A Chinese pharmacist, in the year 2003. This product arrived in North America and Europe in 2007.