Palau has outlawed e-cigarettes after President Surangel Whipps Jr signed a law for “a total ban on the import, advertising, sale, and use of e-cigarettes”, reports Radio New Zealand.
The law, RPPL 11-27, adds e-cigarettes to the Tobacco Control Act and will come into effect 60 days after being enacted. It means that from 29 May, businesses and individuals can be prosecuted if they are found with e-cigarette products.
The authorities hope that the new law will “protect the public’s health”, especially the young people of the island nation. Individuals caught violating the law could face a USD 1,000 fine and businesses or persons importing, distributing, and/or selling the product could face a USD 20,000 fine.
Palau’s First Lady Valerie Whipps, chair of the Tobacco Coalition, said e-cigarette products contain chemicals that impair brain development in young people, as well as the highly addictive nicotine. “This product is specifically designed to attract young people, and if we let it, we will be raising an entire generation that is damaged by this harmful product,” she was quoted as saying.
According to statistics from Palau’s health and human services ministry, there has been a significant increase in e-cigarette use among students since 2019, with up to seven per cent of students having used e-cigarettes, with users as young as 13 years old.