Electronic Cigarettes in Asia: A Review of Promotions and Availability

ELECTRONIC CIGARETTES IN ASIA:  A Review of Promotions and Availability is a report on the availability of Electronic Cigarettes (e-cigarettes) in Asia. It covers the selling and promotional activities in four countries namely, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of the PRC. The main purpose of the study is to aid policy makers in developing and implementing regulatory actions regarding the proliferation of e-cigarettes in the Asian region.

While e-cigarettes have been promoted as a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes and as an effective tool to aid in quitting smoking, much is still unknown about its real health effects on the user, thus there is a need for governments to regulate its sale and promotion.

To begin with, the report presents the results of its research on available online information on e-cigarettes, exposing that majority of these are generated from e-commerce sites with vested interests and unreliable user generated contents.

From conducting in-country surveys, the report also presents a listing of on-site points of sales for e-cigarettes, along with popular brands of e-cigarette devices and e-liquids, in each of the aforementioned countries.

Finally, the report suggests that although most countries have declared a ban on the sale and use of e-cigarettes, there is still a grievous lack of enforcement action. Therefore, it proposes that governments should address specific aspects of e-cigarette selling and promotion, namely:

• Manufacturing and Distribution
• Advertising and Promotional Claims
• Seals and Government Approval
• Nicotine Claims
• Flavor
• Use in Public Places

Using screen captures of e-commerce sites, summary tables and comparison tables across the different countries, the report provides quick information on every page. Meanwhile, summary listings with hyperlinks allow for easy access to the related sites.

Download the file here:  SEATCA_Ecig Report_Final