Health Dept proposes new vaping regulations amid evidence it can cause illness, even death

JOHANNESBURG - The Department of Health says it is proposing new regulations around vaping because there is evidence that it can cause serious illness and could also lead to death.

The Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill to regulate the sale, packaging, and the public use of electronic cigarettes is currently before Parliament.

Heavy penalties have been proposed for offenders, with a proposed jail sentence of up to 20 years or both a fine and imprisonment.

The department’s Jeanette Hunter said there is sufficient data to prove that vaping has both the primary and secondary effects as cigarette smoking.

“All our presentations to the different bodies, almost every paragraph has got links to peer-reviewed research. There’s absolutely enough peer-reviewed evidence for that.”

But the Fair-Trade Independent Tobacco Association (FITA)’s Sinenhlanhla Mnguni said they see it differently.

“As industry, we cannot argue against those kinds of views from the Department of Health. The understanding, though, is that vaping, of course, is a cessation tool, which is slightly different to cigarettes. 

“Overall, I think the mechanism, or the method behind vaping and other electronic delivery systems or non-nicotine delivery systems is to help people, of course, get off cigarettes.”