Electronic smoking covered in new tobacco control Bill

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has published the long-awaited Control of Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Bill, which paves the way for much stricter tobacco laws that will bring e-cigarettes into the regulatory fold. A Business Day report says the Bill was approved by Cabinet in April and published in the Government Gazette on 9 May, with a three-month public comment period. In the preamble to the Bill, the Minister said strong action was required to deter people from using tobacco products, to protect non-smokers from exposure to tobacco smoke and to encourage existing users to quit. Electronic delivery devices were to be regulated because they contained nicotine and the long-term effects of their use was unknown, he said. Key proposals in the Bill include a ban on vending machines, the introduction of plain packaging and graphic health warnings, regulation of electronic delivery devices and much tighter control on smoking in public places.