Liquid-type e-cigarettes have been formally brought under the legal definition of “tobacco.” A revised Tobacco Business Act that took effect on the 24th expanded the definition from products centered on “tobacco leaves” to include nicotine products. Until now, synthetic-nicotine liquid e-cigarettes were distributed largely like ordinary consumer goods, avoiding taxes and regulation. The move is late but necessary to bring an off-the-books market into the system.
The regulatory gap has lasted years. The National Assembly and the government have discussed the issue since 2016 but failed to reach a conclusion amid industry pushback and disagreements among ministries. In the meantime, the market grew while oversight lagged. Synthetic-nicotine liquids were excluded from levies such as the tobacco consumption tax and the National Health Promotion charge, giving them a price advantage. Lost revenue mattered, but a bigger problem was the unfairness of applying different standards to products with the same nature.
More serious was the risk of youth exposure. With online sales, distribution through unmanned shops and disguised products resembling everyday items, barriers to access fell sharply. Regardless of form, tobacco products should be managed under the basic social principle of protecting minors. Under the revision, health warnings, advertising limits and smoke-free area rules will apply.
Still, changing the law does not resolve everything. In the field, concerns are emerging about price increases, stockpiling and confusion among small retailers. Policy cannot end as a declaration. Authorities should quickly tighten the details of enforcement, including tax standards, distribution controls, procedures for business conversion and consumer guidance.
A larger task is blocking new ways to evade oversight. Similar products could reappear in blind spots by altering nicotine structures or claiming to be nicotine-free. A legal framework that merely lists specific ingredients cannot keep pace with new products. Markets change quickly, and administration has often moved late; that pattern should not be repeated.
The purpose of tobacco regulation is not simply to collect more tax. It is to protect public health, prevent youth access and restore order to the market. Bringing liquid e-cigarettes into the tobacco category is a late but necessary first step. The government and the National Assembly now face a clear task: close the next loophole before it opens. A decade-long regulatory vacuum must not be allowed again.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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