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Smoking and vaping
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Smoking and vaping. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Customs officers Chan Sing-lung (left) and Wong Wing-yuen with the seized goods. Photo: Dickson Lee
Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong seizes 6 million illicit cigarettes, heated tobacco products

Two men arrested in separate customs operations, with goods seized worth HK$29 million.

World Health Organization (WHO)

Letters | How a global treaty has helped combat the deadly tobacco epidemic

Thailand

‘Zombie cigarettes’: Thai authorities warn of deadly drug-laced vapes

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Wellness

Your life is largely in your hands, not your genes, study shows

It’s easy to blame ill-health on genes, but how we live from childhood onwards is shown to be a bigger reason for disease and early death.

It is easy to blame diseases on our genes, but how we live, including whether we smoke, has much more to do with our susceptibility to disease and premature death, research finds. Photo: Shutterstock
Wellness

6 prescriptions for lifelong love from Hong Kong doctors married 57 years

For Judith and John Mackay it was love at first sight. They reflect on how they have made love last since marrying in a hurry in 1967.

Hong Kong economy

80% of bar patrons in Hong Kong discouraged by proposed tobacco ban: poll

Many respondents also say they will opt for mainland establishments if ban is implemented.

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Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Hong Kong ban on e-cigarette cartridges expected to start in mid-2026

Government aims to submit bill to the legislature in April, health minister says.

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The government plans to first prohibit possessing and using e-cigarette cartridges in public places in mid-2026 before the second stage of a citywide ban. Photo: Eugene Lee
Malaysia

My Take | Malaysia has to clear the air on vaping laws

While the vaping industry provides tens of thousands of jobs for Malaysians, there are also rising health costs linked to e-cigarettes.

Malaysia

Parents urged to act on vapes as Malaysian government holds back on ban

Minister says it is up to families to keep their children away from vapes, amid a rise in the number of students caught vaping.

Japan

Up in smoke? Ukraine’s bid to shame Japan Tobacco for Russia tax fails to ignite

Japan Tobacco’s decision to stay in Russia highlights a stark contrast in Japanese public opinion compared to other nations.

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People smoke cigarettes at a smoking area in Tokyo. Photo: AFP
Wellness

World Expo 2025 host city Osaka in Japan bans smoking in public

Osaka mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama says the ban will make city ‘safe’. Meanwhile the Osaka region is extending a ban on smoking in restaurants.

The city of Osaka, Japan, host of the World Expo 2025, is banning smoking on public streets. Local regulations already ban smoking while walking in most places in Japan. Photo: Shutterstock
Malaysia

Malaysia’s vape smuggling crackdown sparks fears over rising addiction

Authorities have arrested a group of vape smugglers who bribed customs officers based at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Exclusive | Hong Kong plans to ban vaping, possessing e-cigarette cartridges in public: source

Move is first of two-phase citywide ban on alternative smoking and flavoured tobacco products, insider says.

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Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Hong Kong needs total ban on flavoured cigarettes, anti-smoking group says

Survey finds nearly 90 per cent of young female smokers opt for flavoured cigarettes, which can lead to higher levels of addiction.

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The tourism and hospitality sectors have voiced worries over the impact of stamping out flavoured cigarettes and shisha. Photo: Sam Tsang
Wellness

Smokers, want to earn more money? Then quit, new study says

New research suggests that smokers are likely to earn less money than peers who abstain, and the more they smoke, the bigger the gap.

Smoking could be a cause of “reduced success in the labour market”, possibly as it undermines productivity, particularly in physically demanding jobs, and leaves smokers vulnerable to bias and discrimination, according to researchers of a new study. Photo: Shutterstock
Wellness

Time to stop smoking? Study shows a smartwatch app could help

Smartwatch app detects movements that indicate smoking, sends vibration alert, a text offering moral support and tally of cigarettes smoked.

Asia travel

Vietnam bans vapes, to impose fines for users and jail producers

Country joins others including Singapore, Thailand, India and Australia in banning travellers from bringing in e-cigarettes.

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Italy

Milan cracks down on outdoor smoking in Italy’s toughest ban

Italy’s second-largest city imposes an almost complete ban on smoking in public, with fines of up to US$250 for violations.

As of January 1, people may only smoke in public spaces in Milan if they are at least 10 metres away from other people. File photo: Shutterstock
Crime in Hong Kong

Exclusive | Hong Kong to slap tobacco products with laser labels to root out contraband

Sources say authorities studying updating law to introduce new labelling system, which involves goods being marked with laser.

European Union

Belgium will ban sales of disposable e-cigarettes in a first for the EU

The European country follows Australia in rolling out stricter laws governing the use of vapes.

Crime in Hong Kong

Cigarette smuggling activities in Hong Kong surpass pre-pandemic levels: customs

Between January and November, authorities cracked 19,459 cases involving black market cigarettes, representing a 65 per cent increase over the total for all of last year.

Seized black market cigarettes are displayed by customs. In the first 11 months of this year, 18,780 people were arrested for smuggling, storing, distributing or peddling illicit cigarettes, a 71 per cent increase over the 10,995 arrests made during all of 2023. Photo: Sun Yeung
Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Letters | Hong Kong’s third medical school must have sizeable teaching hospital

Readers discuss a vital resource for medical training, Hong Kong’s healthcare priorities and the need for vigilance over property transactions.

Queen Mary Hospital is part of the teaching hospital of the University of Hong Kong medical school. Photo: K. Y. Cheng
Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Hong Kong authorities warn that e-cigarettes could be tools for drug abuse

Devices could be used to consume illegal substances or products with higher concentrations of nicotine that cause greater addiction.

Britain

UK lawmakers vote in favour of some of world’s strictest anti-smoking rules

If passed, the bill would stop anyone 15 or younger this year from ever buying cigarettes, and also make vapes less appealing.

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Malaysia

Terengganu becomes second Malaysian state to ban e-cigarettes

The rise of vaping in Malaysia over the past year was spurred by the exemption of nicotine-laced vape products from the Poisons Act.

Promoters smoking e-cigarettes during a vape fair in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: AFP
Malaysia

Malaysia’s healthcare system faces US$82 million vaping bill

The government’s decision to legalise nicotine-laced vape products has worsened the healthcare crisis, despite efforts to limit access.

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People smoking electronic cigarettes during the Vape Fair in Kuala Lumpur in December 2015. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong economy

Would ending Hong Kong liquor tax and delaying shisha ban help bar business?

Hong Kong Bar and Club Association urges measures to help revitalise industry amid growing trend of cross-border spending.

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Hong Kong economy

Flavoured cigarette ban in Hong Kong may deter mainland tourists: expert

Poll of tour operators finds mainland’s 300 million smokers may think twice about visiting city if Hong Kong implements stricter measures.

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