E-Cigarettes banned in Hong Kong

VapeAtron · 03-10-2009, 02:53 PM

E-Cigarettes have officially been outlawed in Hong Kong by their Department of Health (DOH). It is now illegal to sell or posses E-Cigarettes in the province. This is being targeted at manufacturers as well.

From The Standard (Hong Kong English Newspaper):

The arrested men, aged 52 and 60, were grabbed yesterday at an outlet in Apliu Street, Sham Shui Po. One is thought to be a boss in the business.

Police also seized nine types of e-cigarette along with refills and 14 boxes of unregistered and restricted drug products.

The maximum penalty for possessing or selling e-cigarettes is a HK$100,000 fine and two years' imprisonment.

What does this mean to the rest of us? Well, some of the manufacturers that supply goods to our US, UK, and EU suppliers are either based in Hong Kong, or are Chinese and export through companies based in Hong Kong.

Whether or not these companies will be allowed to manufacture solely for exporting purposes, or whether or not export companies in Hong Kong can export Chinese made goods that fall under the new ban is unknown.

Don't get super alarmed, talk with your supplier and see if this affects them if you are worried. Make sure to check the forums and this thread for updates as they come down the pipeline!

Primus · 03-10-2009, 03:33 PM

This is starting to get stupidly out of hand.

VapeAtron · 03-10-2009, 04:07 PM

xMarlboroMan · 03-10-2009, 04:27 PM

My newest ecig from Dealextreme.com came from Hong Kong. Granted it was stamped 2/20/09 on the label (and arrived today 3/10/09), but they also put "cigar pipes and cases" on the customs tag :O. So, apparently HK ecig sellers aren't adhearing to the new ban :P.

v2x · 03-10-2009, 05:02 PM

If anyone is interested in seeing what is being portrayed in the media, check this link out:

Electronic Cigarettes: Are They Safe? - CBS News

v2x

staresm · 03-11-2009, 09:18 AM

That's just sad, sad, sad. Tobaccoharmreduction.org is a great site with lots of information for anyone who is considering an electronic cigarette or to give to people who challenge us on their use. The University of Alberta has an excellent school of public health.

Margaret

jacobl · 04-07-2009, 03:41 PM

Has anyone seen any toxicology reports in the use of propylene glycol by inhalation. I have seen a lot of mixed reviews on this subject. But there is still no hard evidence that this stuff is safe to inhale. I know that they say it is used "indirectly" in foods, but we don't inhale food (into our lungs anyway).

Breakfree · 06-25-2009, 02:40 PM

Re: Propylene Glycol. It is already used in medical nebulizers to soothe damaged lungs, so yes it is already used for inhalation. New studies show it to also inhibit growth of viruses as well.

http://www.GreenSmoke.com/Breakfree

esmoker · 07-05-2009, 07:30 PM

Basically one can say that all substances wich are contained in pure and accurately produced liquid are safe. Such discussions also have been made in european internet forums months ago.

Breakfree · 07-19-2009, 09:09 PM

We know, we know, we are soooo behind Europe. lol

renderwerks · 07-20-2009, 03:54 PM

I spoke with my doctor about my use of these devices. I showed him one of my 510s and explained how they work and showed him a bottle of Johnson Creek Smoke Juice (ingredients listed on the label).

Typical of a doctor, he said he would like to see test results of what ends up in the vapor. But, he also told me that PG is used widely in inhalation or nebulizer devices, and has been for years. He guessed that it is probably not an issue, and "would bet" it's many orders of magnitude better than inhaling smoke from combustion of plant material - tobacco or otherwise...

He also congratulated me on giving up cigarettes finally and hopes I continue to do so.

Rick

nebraskapuffer · 07-20-2009, 04:41 PM

I congradulate you on quitting too render and hope you continue to do so. (me too) I actually puffed my 501 in the Dr's office and he was amazed and asked lots of questions and I happened to have an e-cigarette-USA card with me and give it to him. I even puffed it at the pharmacy the same day and the pharmacist was just as impressed as the Dr. I never could have gotten away with puffing a real cig in his office. I can remember when I was a kid there were ashtrays in the Drs office. Man, things have changed!

tandera · 07-20-2009, 06:03 PM

do you people think the china suppliers gonna be out? how soon??

i think only china suppliers ships to my country (brazil)

Breakfree · 07-20-2009, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by renderwerks

I spoke with my doctor about my use of these devices. I showed him one of my 510s and explained how they work and showed him a bottle of Johnson Creek Smoke Juice (ingredients listed on the label).

Typical of a doctor, he said he would like to see test results of what ends up in the vapor. But, he also told me that PG is used widely in inhalation or nebulizer devices, and has been for years. He guessed that it is probably not an issue, and "would bet" it's many orders of magnitude better than inhaling smoke from combustion of plant material - tobacco or otherwise...

He also congratulated me on giving up cigarettes finally and hopes I continue to do so.

Rick

Render, Exactly, that has been my point for awhile now, that medical nebulizers use the same s**t so how in thee H**it could it be outlawed in eCigs? Nuts. Why do we have so many ill-educated peeps in our government and FDA? Me thinks the FDA isn't ill-educated at all but is hiding the facts from everyone else, the gov and the public.

nebraskapuffer · 07-20-2009, 09:10 PM

I believe the key word is...........MONEY. Once they get er taxed so they get their fair share they'll go on to something else to screw us with. The new America huh?

Rocketman · 07-20-2009, 09:25 PM

FDA, they be smart. They will kick us in the NICers. PG, VG, FDC yellow #5, are all acceptable. Compare the cost of patches, gum and NIC juice. THat's where the money is.
Watch for it, E-Juice, FDA approved, coming soon to a CVS pharmacy near you. Get the high strength 6mg/ml. Limit 30ml per month, per adult.

Rocket
(you know what goes here)

Breakfree · 07-20-2009, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nebraskapuffer

I believe the key word is...........MONEY. Once they get er taxed so they get their fair share they'll go on to something else to screw us with. The new America huh?

Not new with all that has gone down already with Big Tobacco and Big Pharma(smoking cessation products) but certainly escalated with bold faced lies.

Primus · 07-23-2009, 10:08 AM

I don't think it's the PG that the FDA has a problem with.

Rocketman · 07-23-2009, 10:30 AM

Primus,
I know that Nicotine is the big ticket attention getter here.
Marketing to KIDS is CRxP.
Contaminants, even trace amounts should be of interest to us.
DEG is cheap, why would anyone want to put that into more costly PG or VG?
Testing for it costs a lot.

The PG and VG that the Chinese use for food and drug use may be the source of DEG (trace amount?)that they found. I would not want DEG in my e-juice. They (FDA) implemented testing requirements for VG (recommended same for PG) that is to be used in drugs. What do the Chinese require? They advertise Industrial Grade as acceptable for food (do a search).
Here is a good U.S. source of VG, notice that it is specifically identified as vegetable based, not pig fat, not synthetic.

http://www.pgchemicals.com/resources...%20V%20TDS.pdf
The Rocket

Khadijah · 07-26-2009, 10:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by renderwerks

I spoke with my doctor about my use of these devices. I showed him one of my 510s and explained how they work and showed him a bottle of Johnson Creek Smoke Juice (ingredients listed on the label).

Typical of a doctor, he said he would like to see test results of what ends up in the vapor. But, he also told me that PG is used widely in inhalation or nebulizer devices, and has been for years. He guessed that it is probably not an issue, and "would bet" it's many orders of magnitude better than inhaling smoke from combustion of plant material - tobacco or otherwise...

He also congratulated me on giving up cigarettes finally and hopes I continue to do so.

Rick

I also showed mine and my husband's doctor(the same doc) the ecig and how it's used and told him about the ejuice. He has been trying to get us both to quit analogs for years. He not only approves of ecigs as a safer alternative to analogs but he lets us vape in his waiting room!

Khadijah · 07-26-2009, 10:59 PM

I buy from BestEcig-Newest Mini E-cigarette|E-cigarette|wholesale e-liquid in China. The stuff comes straight from China and not through Hong Kong. Funny thing is, Didn't the UK give Hong Kong back to China some years back and therefore is today a part of China? Does Hong Kong have a different Gov?

I can't really imagine that the Chinese Gov. will ban ecig manufacturing or even possession by it's citizens. Not when they allow lead painted toys to be manufactured. I don't think The Gov over there actually cares.

Snarkyone · 09-21-2009, 04:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nebraskapuffer

I congradulate you on quitting too render and hope you continue to do so. (me too) I actually puffed my 501 in the Dr's office and he was amazed and asked lots of questions and I happened to have an e-cigarette-USA card with me and give it to him. I even puffed it at the pharmacy the same day and the pharmacist was just as impressed as the Dr. I never could have gotten away with puffing a real cig in his office. I can remember when I was a kid there were ashtrays in the Drs office. Man, things have changed!

Back in the 80's I was a carhauler and I had fell and evidently punctured a lung that didn't give me a problem until later on that night. I ended up having to go to the hospital and they put a chest tube in my lung to keep it inflated.

Cut to me coming to from the procedure dying for a cigarette...back then you could actually smoke in the hospital, and the dirty rats had my live in girlfriend take my smokes with her. I promptly grabbed my IV cart in one hand, my chest tube box in the other and shuffled off down the corridor to the smoking lounge on the floor where there was a little old lady of about 89 if she was a day puffing away on a smoke with a look of sweet content on her face. One look and I knew even in my weakened condition I could take her if I needed to, but she was very empathetic and gave me like 6 of them to take back with me for later. Needless to say about halfway through my cigarette the nurse happened to walk by and casually glanced in while walking by, then stopped popped her head in in disbelief and scolded me. Obviously I told her to take a hike...you know how stupid we are about our nicotine fix.

These days you can't even smoke outside the hospital! The University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor, MI has a area outside the hospital painted off as non-smoking for about 100 yards all around it.

Kaye · 09-21-2009, 08:00 PM

I used my e-cig in the hospital when I had my knee replacement surgery 2 weeks ago; I didn't vape all that much but had it in my hand 24/7 as a kind of security blanket and puffed when wanted. Nurses and techs just stopped in to see what it was, how it worked, and, after hearing my positive experiences, where they could get one, most of the time for a parent who had been unable to quit smoking. I referred them to the forums to learn about them. My docs and PTs say I'm setting records for recovery and healing time so there's no doubt the 2 months I didn't smoke analogs before surgery was good for the healing process.

renderwerks · 09-23-2009, 11:58 AM

I can relate. My parents discovered my smoking when I was 16. I was in the hospital recovering from hernia surgery when my mom walked in and caught me having a smoke. In the hospital!

I just got home from spending two days in the hospital myself. Can't remember much of it as I was riding the morphene train most of the time. I do remember having and using my 510 the entire time. I tried to be discreet, but my wife said in my condition I might have thought I was being stealthy, but really wasn't. There were no complaints. I do remember using it in direct presence of hospital personal a couple times. Surprisingly, I don't recall having any questions about it. It was black with a blue LED. I think that helped.

On a side note - My wife said I've developed a "death grip" on my ecig. While I was unconcious or semi, she said she couldn't remove it from my hand!

To be on topic with the thread - I have received orders from China just recently - no problems (knock on wood...)

The ban must be specific to just Hong Kong?

The above banner makes me very proud!

Khadijah · 09-23-2009, 12:06 PM

I was in the hospital last week from Monday through Thursday. I only had 2 batts with me but I also vaped without any problem once I explained and took apart my ecig to prove to the nurse what it was. She had no problem and found it quite interesting.