By KHT Staff. Images via Pingtung County Govt.
PINGTUNG — Pingtung County has joined a nationwide campaign encouraging residents to surrender electronic cigarettes before proposed amendments make possession punishable by fines of up to NT$100,000.
The Pingtung County Public Health Bureau (屏東縣政府衛生局) began accepting unwanted e-cigarettes Sept. 8 through dedicated collection boxes at the bureau and all 33 township and city public health centers across the county.
Residents may deposit the devices anonymously and are not required to provide identification or personal information, the bureau said.
The local program is part of a national initiative launched by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, which has established 431 collection points at public health bureaus and health centers across Taiwan.
However, possession has not yet become an offense, and no date has been announced for the proposed penalties to begin.
Taiwan has already prohibited the manufacture, importation, sale, supply, display, advertising, and use of electronic cigarettes since amendments to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act (菸害防制法) took effect on March 22, 2023. Under the existing law, people caught using an e-cigarette can be fined between NT$2,000 and NT$10,000, while selling or displaying the products carries fines ranging from NT$200,000 to NT$1 million.
The present law does not expressly penalize possession alone. The proposed amendment would close that gap by imposing fines of NT$30,000 to NT$100,000 and confiscating the device, even when authorities do not catch the holder using it.
The Executive Yuan approved the draft amendment on June 25 and sent it to the Legislative Yuan for consideration. It has not completed the legislative process, meaning an enforcement date cannot yet be set.
If the amendment passes, the draft provides a one-month grace period beginning on the date the new provisions take effect. During that month, authorities could confiscate e-cigarettes but would not fine people merely for possessing them. The nationwide collection program is expected to continue until the grace period ends. Afterward, possession would carry the proposed NT$30,000 to NT$100,000 penalty.
The tougher proposal emerged partly from concern that e-cigarette devices have increasingly been used to deliver illegal drugs, including etomidate, commonly associated in Taiwan with so-called “zombie vape cartridges.” Following several drug-driving cases, the Executive Yuan included stronger e-cigarette controls among 14 measures announced in June to combat drugs and drug-impaired driving. The proposal would also introduce criminal penalties for manufacturing, importing, selling or supplying electronic cigarettes.
The policy is not without legal concerns. A Legislative Yuan research report said a comprehensive ban on private possession could interfere excessively with conduct in private spaces and recommended a more gradual approach, beginning with possession in public places and possession for commercial purposes. The report is advisory and does not represent the Legislature’s official position.
Pingtung Public Health Bureau Director Chang Hsiu-chun (張秀君) said many people mistakenly believe e-cigarette emissions are harmless water vapor. The bureau said e-cigarette liquids commonly contain addictive nicotine and may expose users to formaldehyde, heavy metals, and other harmful substances.
Information about Pingtung collection locations is available through the Public Health Bureau website and its Facebook page.
Residents seeking help to stop smoking or using e-cigarettes may call Taiwan’s free smoking-cessation hotline at 0800-636363.
