State of vaping in banned/restricted countries

[Nightshard]

Some countries ban it completely, some countries restrict the sales of nicotine.
Here are some examples: Denemark, Hong Kong, Brazil, Panama, Singpore, Israel, Finland and there are more.
If you're from one of those countries, how is it going there? Did people stop vaping? How hard is it to vape in public and to buy e-liquid.

In my country it feels like we took one step forward and two steps back.
I barely see vapers anymore and most of the people that do vape are still stuck at the ego stage.
Around a year ago there has been a campaign of intimidation in the media and it actually worked! To the point that smokers come to me and say "You shouldnt vape it's bad for you".
How silly is that, it's like saying "I don't drink beer cos it has alcohol so i'll drink whiskey instead".
Most people on the street don't say much but i get a lot of looks.
There are only a handful of shops which don't sell nicotine, but there are web based local shops that do.
So sad.

On the bright side, i vape, i build micro and nano coils, i use both ragulated and mech mods, i use tanks and i drip, i learn and advance, i just don't get my knowlage locally.

 

[Maggiemw]

I'm in Israel too, and yes, there are a lot of people who fell for the negative press campaign. Only yesterday a street cleaner took me to hand for vaping, telling me it was dangerous and that I should stop immediately. There is one good online shop (in Haifa) where you can get very nice, reasonably priced e-liquid. Other online shops are vastly overpriced.

However, I order all my equipment from FastTech and have had no problems with Customs. Most people I know who vape also get their equipment from outside the country.

 

[Nightshard]

I DIY my e-liquid, i get my base liquid from one of those sites that make their own brand of e-liquid and mix my own flavors.
Vaping gear is no problem but Iv'e never ordered anything containing nicotine from other countries, as I'm not sure it would pass through customs.

 

[vaperature]

Of all the things in the world that should be banned, it boggles my mind that vaping is banned in Hong Kong. I'm assuming smoking cigarettes isn't banned there, so I'm just wondering what exactly is the logic behind that.

 

[Nightshard]

Of all the things in the world that should be banned, it boggles my mind that vaping is banned in Hong Kong. I'm assuming smoking cigarettes isn't banned there, so I'm just wondering what exactly is the logic behind that.

It is strange it's illegal in Hong Kong especially considering it legal in China.
Theres no logic to it, it's all politics.

 

[Maggiemw]

It is strange it's illegal in Hong Kong especially considering it legal in China.
Theres no logic to it, it's all politics.

The politics of tax revenues on cigarette sales, more likely!

 

[Rickajho]

If people want what they want in this one they figure out how to get it. In one of those countries you listed all a government ban did was to drive the sales underground into a black market. The stuff still manages to get into the country, so I have to assume someone is getting bribed somewhere for that to happen. The minions on the street can get arrested and fined for vaping in the open - so most of them know better and don't do it. And at the same time there are shops operating in public spaces selling the stuff openly despite a government ban. Yeah, how do they manage to do that?

You would think with the history lesson of the disaster of Prohibition in the USA that countries would think twice before imposing unwarranted bans. Sadly that is not the case. I salute you guys & gals who do what you gotta do in a country with a ban to switch from smoking to vaping, and still manage to do it.

 

[Rickajho]

It is strange it's illegal in Hong Kong especially considering it legal in China.
Theres no logic to it, it's all politics.

Absafreakinloutely no logic at all. Like you can buy e-cig stuff from DealExtreme - which happens to be located in Hong Kong. But you just can't use it there?

 

[Charon]

Hong Kong is... weird. While they're officially PRC, they're a "Special Administrative Region" granted autonomy in government in all matters except Foreign Relations and Military.

 

[Nightshard]

Absafreakinloutely no logic at all. Like you can buy e-cig stuff from DealExtreme - which happens to be located in Hong Kong. But you just can't use it there?

Like you can buy jack daniels in tennessee but you can't drink it there.

 

[happydave]

Like you can buy jack daniels in tennessee but you can't drink it there.

Jack Daniels is made in a "dry county" (dry meaning that you cant drink alcohol) a county is like a small subset of a state. but the rest of the counties in Tennessee are totally booze friendly.
states, counties, cities and even neighborhoods can have there own laws.

 

[Bunnykiller]

since we are all humans with pretty much the same internal functions, why is it legal to vape in some countries and not others? Are people built differently in other countries that make vaping more dangerous for them?

 

[Bunnykiller]

Jack Daniels is made in a "dry county" (dry meaning that you cant drink alcohol) a county is like a small subset of a state. but the rest of the counties in Tennessee are totally booze friendly.
states, counties, cities and even neighborhoods can have there own laws.

been there... nice place love the smell of the charcoal vats... never did understand the dry county thing... all those taxes going to the neighboring counties...

 

[downInTn]

Jack Daniels is made in a "dry county" (dry meaning that you cant drink alcohol) a county is like a small subset of a state. but the rest of the counties in Tennessee are totally booze friendly.
states, counties, cities and even neighborhoods can have there own laws.

Sorry to drag this further off-topic; "dry county" just means you can not purchase, you can consume all you like

 

[Nightshard]

Most of the answers are from the US.
Isn't there anyone from the relevant countries that has anything to say?

 

[gully]

Here the sale of Nicotine is illegal but hardware and 0mg are fine.

We are allowed to import a personal supply of Nic from other countries so most of us DIY or use Doublers.

Having to import the Nic does provide a barrier to new vapers.many people love the idea but balk at having to import.I often get asked to get it for them and would be happy to do so but that would put me in breach of the law.

Our government has a policy for the whole country to be smokefree by 2025,the only way that policy can be anything other than aspirational drivel is to open the way for people to vape.

 

[Ryedan]

Our government has a policy for the whole country to be smokefree by 2025,the only way that policy can be anything other than aspirational drivel is to open the way for people to vape.

OT. Just wondering gully, how are they planning to enforce that?

 

[Ryedan]

Most of the answers are from the US.
Isn't there anyone from the relevant countries that has anything to say?

You might find more data in the National Forums.

 

[gully]

OT. Just wondering gully, how are they planning to enforce that?

That's why I called it aspirational drivel.

Though it would be do-able,no local tobacco growers(there were) and an Island a long way from anywhere.

Ironically they are trying to push through signing up to the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement which if signed as it is(pro US gov atm) would put BT in a position to sue our government for loss of profits down the line.

 

[VapieDan]

Some countries ban it completely, some countries restrict the sales of nicotine.
Here are some examples: Denemark, Hong Kong, Brazil, Panama, Singpore, Israel, Finland and there are more.
If you're from one of those countries, how is it going there? Did people stop vaping? How hard is it to vape in public and to buy e-liquid.

In my country it feels like we took one step forward and two steps back.
I barely see vapers anymore and most of the people that do vape are still stuck at the ego stage.
Around a year ago there has been a campaign of intimidation in the media and it actually worked! To the point that smokers come to me and say "You shouldnt vape it's bad for you".
How silly is that, it's like saying "I don't drink beer cos it has alcohol so i'll drink whiskey instead".
Most people on the street don't say much but i get a lot of looks.
There are only a handful of shops which don't sell nicotine, but there are web based local shops that do.
So sad.

On the bright side, i vape, i build micro and nano coils, i use both ragulated and mech mods, i use tanks and i drip, i learn and advance, i just don't get my knowlage locally.

Yup prohibition of Alcohol worked real well in the US. All you do is create a black market.