Are E-Cigs Legal?

Due to the relative newness of the technology and the possible relationship to tobacco laws, electronic cigarette legislation and public health investigations are currently pending in many countries.

• In Australia, the sale of electronic cigarettes containing nicotine is illegal.
• In Austria and Denmark, electronic cigarettes are considered medical devices, and nicotine cartridges medicinal products. Therefore electronic cigarettes need to be CE-marked, and nicotine cartridges registered as medicinal products, before either can be legally sold.
• In Canada, compliance of electronic cigarette use with public smoking bans is currently under review.
• In Finland, cartridges containing nicotine are illegal to sell, or to purchase with intent to sell, but are not illegal to purchase from overseas sources for personal use only.
• In Hong Kong, the possession or the sale of electronic cigarettes is illegal. Ironic, considering many are made in China.
• In The Netherlands, use of electronic cigarettes is allowed, but advertising is forbidden pending European Union legislation.
• In New Zealand, the Ministry of Health has ruled that cartridges containing nicotine fall under the requirements of the Medicines Act, and cannot be sold except as a registered medicine.
• In the United Kingdom, electronic cigarette use is currently unrestricted, with celebrity nightclub Chinawhite allowing use of the devices indoors, where traditional cigarette smoking is prohibited.
• In the United States, electronic cigarettes are currently unrestricted. Electronic cigarettes are currently not subject to restriction under the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act.