For the first time ever, a major Chinese city has banned the use of e-cigarettes in public spaces.
A spokesperson from the Center for Disease Control in Hangzhou told The Beijing News on Wednesday that from Jan. 1, the city’s public smoking ban had been expanded to include e-cigarettes because they “cause harm to people’s health” — a claim that’s still being debated by experts.
Though Hangzhou is the first city in China to institute a vaping ban, Zhang Jianshu, chairman of the Beijing Tobacco Control Association, says other cities should consider following suit. In June 2015, Beijing became the first city in China to implement a smoking ban in indoor public spaces, and Shanghai passed a similar regulation the following year — though residents were skeptical about how strictly such bans would be enforced.
According to Caixin, China produces over 90 percent of the world’s e-cigarettes. While most of the products are exported overseas, the report said that domestic use is rising. (Image: VCG)