Humans have a long history with tobacco, dating as far back as 2000 years ago. That’s when the plant (which had already been growing wild for 6000 years) began to be chewed and smoked during cultural or religious ceremonies and events.
By the 1600s, tobacco use had spread across Europe. Fast forward another 200 years or so, and cigarettes were introduced in the U.S. By the Civil War, cigarettes were well established and continued to increase in popularity in the early-mid 20th century.
The dangers of smoke, and, by proxy, tobacco, were first introduced in the early 1600s, when it was observed that chimney sweeps tended to have illness presumably caused by soot. In the late 1700s, cancers on the lips of pipe smokers were noted. The link between smoking and lung cancer was first documented in the 1920s, and by the 1950s and 1960s, multiple major medical reports concluded that tobacco caused a range of serious diseases. Over the years, many public spaces have been deemed “smoke free,” wherein you’re not allowed to smoke there. For example, nowadays, there are only a handful of airports in the U.S. that still allow indoor smoking.
Medical reports and banning notwithstanding, people were still addicted to tobacco. So what’s a smoker to do?
Enter electronic cigarettes.
E-cigarettes, more commonly known as vapes, e-cigs, etc., were invented in China by a pharmacist who was also an inventor and smoker. He created the device after his father, also a heavy smoker, died of lung cancer. They entered the market around 2003, and his invention allowed people to inhale nicotine without the thousands of other harmful chemicals typically found in tobacco smoke. His e-cigs were immediately very successful in China, where over 300 million people smoke (China is the world’s largest consumer and producer of tobacco). Sales began in the UK in 2005 and they entered the U.S. market in 2007.
Vapes offer their own dangers to those who smoke them and who are subjected to their secondhand smoke. However they’re still currently a huge market around the world. It’s estimated that in 2021, there were somewhere between 68 million and 82 million vape users around the planet (as of 2020, there were estimated to be about 1.3 billion tobacco users). Even in the U.S. alone, studies estimate that 1 out of every 20 people vape.
Smokers who travel already have to find “safe” places where they’re allowed to smoke. As it turns out, those who vape may find their own problems finding places to puff, since vapes have often been added to traditional cigarettes in many “no smoking” places.
Beyond that though, some countries have outlawed vaping; some simply don’t allow selling it, while others don’t allow using vapes in the country, period. And different states (and counties of each state) in the U.S. have their own laws. Read on…
Countries where it’s illegal to sell vapes
Some people would rather buy their vapes locally, in the interest of battery safety, packing light, etc. Although the USE of vapes may or may not be legal, the SALE of e-cigarettes are illegal in several countries. If you plan to vape there (if it’s legal, plan to bring your own):
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Bhutan
- Brazil
- Brunei Darussalam
- Cambodia
- Chile (except for approved medical products)
- Colombia
- East Timor
- Ethiopia
- Gambia
- Hong Kong
- India
- Iran
- Jamaica (only nicotine-containing products are illegal)
- Japan (only illegal to sell nicotine-containing liquid)
- Kuwait
- Laos
- Lebanon
- Macau
- Malaysia (only nicotine-containing products are illegal)
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Myanmar
- Nepal
- Nicaragua
- North Korea
- Norway
- Oman
- Palau
- Panama
- Qatar
- Seychelles
- Singapore
- Sri Lanka
- Suriname
- Syria
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- Timor-Leste
- Türkiye
- Uganda
- Uruguay
- Vatican City
- Venezuela
Countries where it’s illegal to vape
The countries above don’t allow the sale of vapes. These countries have made vaping illegal:
- Australia (Although vaping itself is legal, it’s illegal to possess nicotine for use in e-cigarettes without a doctor’s prescription. Importing vaped nicotine illegally, even as a tourist, can garner vape smokers a fine upwards of over $200,000)
- Cambodia
- East Timor
- Ethiopia
- Gambia
- Laos
- Myanmar
- Nicaragua
- North Korea
- Palau
- Qatar
- Singapore (possession of a vape is a crime punishable by fines and potentially prison time)
- Syria
- Taiwan
- Vatican City
- Venezuela
Places in the U.S. that have rules about vaping
The U.S., of course, has 50 states and each state has its own counties, which may have their own respective rules. This page has a listing of where people can and cannot vape in each state’s respective counties. This page goes into more detail per state.
Individual states that don’t allow in-store sales of vapes or specific vape products:
- California: bans in-store sales of vaping products (both nicotine and other flavors)
- Massachusetts: bans all sales of e-cig flavors except tobacco
- New Jersey: bans all sales of e-cig flavors except tobacco
- New York: bans all sales of e-cig flavors except tobacco
- Rhode Island: bans all sales of e-cig flavors except tobacco
For younger vapers, heads up that:
- It is illegal for a retailer to sell any tobacco product – including cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, and e-cigarettes – to anyone under 21, as per the FDA.
- For non-nicotine vapes, 41 states have a minimum purchase age of 21, 8 states allow a purchaser to be 18, and 1 state has a minimum age of 19.
Flavored vapes are supposed to be illegal throughout the country. Disposable, fruit, mint and candy flavored vapes can’t be sold legally in the U.S. (many places still do, anyway).
States in the U.S. where indoor vaping is allowed
These states still do not have any regulations on the books for indoor vaping (that being said, individual establishments may have their own rules):
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- Tennessee
Vapers should probably take that into consideration when planning travel.
H/T: CDC, FDA, Vaping360, Wikipedia
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