Big news! E-cigarette regulation is upgraded again! New changes you must know!
On May 27, 2025 , the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration held a major press conference, sending out an important signal for e-cigarette regulation: the sale of herbal vaporizers, snus, and other new tobacco products are officially included in the scope of regulation ! This move will have a profound impact on the industry. Let’s take a look at the specific changes!
1. Regulatory achievements are remarkable, but challenges cannot be ignored
Since e-cigarettes were included in the tobacco monopoly supervision system in 2021 , multiple national departments have collaborated and achieved a series of remarkable results:
• Effective rectification of chaos: more than 7,600 administrative cases were investigated and dealt with, more than 2,200 people were held criminally responsible, and more than 25,000 tobacco sales outlets around campuses were cleared , effectively purifying the market environment.
• Outstanding export performance: In 2024 , Shenzhen’s e-cigarette exports accounted for 66% of the country’s total . The industry has obvious outward-oriented characteristics and occupies an important position in the international market.
However, the current e-cigarette market still faces many challenges:
• Flavored e-cigarettes continue to be banned despite repeated violations: there have been more than 1,900 violations involving licensed retailers , and illegal sales still exist.
• Increasing pressure on export compliance: The UK, France and other countries have banned the sale of disposable e-cigarettes, and international regulation has become stricter, bringing new challenges to my country's e-cigarette export companies.
2. Five new measures to usher in a new era of supervision
In order to further strengthen the supervision of e-cigarettes, the country has launched five new measures to promote the upgrading of supervision:
1. System reconstruction: system + organization + collaboration
The National Bureau has established an Electronic Cigarette Supervision and Management Department, and key areas such as Shenzhen have established cross-regional cooperation mechanisms to strengthen the overall coordination of regulatory forces. Revise the license management rules to clearly prohibit enterprises with “low capacity utilization” from adding new capacity and optimize the industrial structure.
2. Strict access control: production capacity + license + capital
Starting from June , we will carry out comprehensive capacity verification, eliminate backward production capacity, prevent more than 600 illegal new projects from being built, and raise the threshold for industry entry. During the 2025 license renewal period, corporate compliance was strictly checked. Last year, the licenses of six companies were revoked to strengthen supervision of companies.
3. Market purification: new tobacco + protection of minors
New tobacco products are included in the supervision: the sale of new tobacco products such as herbal vaporizers and snus are explicitly included in the supervision. The State Food and Drug Administration abolished the classification of "medical heated atomizers" and cut off the path of medical device registration. In 2024 , the special rectification campaign removed more than 200,000 products from e-commerce platforms , involving an amount of 18.22 million yuan, and severely cracked down on illegal products. Strengthening protection of minors: Over 1,200 cases of selling cigarettes to minors were investigated and dealt with in the past five years , and the number of views of legal education short videos exceeded 10 million, building a solid line of defense for the healthy growth of minors.
4. Technology empowerment: smart supervision
The entire network monitoring platform has been upgraded, and 791,000 pieces of tobacco-related information will be collected in 2024 , with handling efficiency increased by 40% , using technological means to improve regulatory effectiveness. Major cases have a significant deterrent effect. The amount involved in the " November 16 " case in Suzhou, Anhui Province exceeded 400 million yuan, and Shenzhen seized 649,600 smuggled e-cigarettes , demonstrating the determination to crack down on illegal and criminal activities.
5. Export compliance: guidance + crackdown
Strengthen the export compliance review of enterprises, investigate and punish 33 non-compliant enterprises in 2024 , and guide enterprises to standardize their export behavior. Collaborated with customs and commerce departments, issued risk warnings 12 times to help companies avoid trade risks and ensure the stable development of export trade.
III. Future direction of supervision: rule of law, industry and social co-governance
Deepening the rule of law: Promote the implementation of supporting rules of the "E-cigarette Management Measures", explore new means such as credit supervision, and improve the regulatory legal and regulatory system.
Industrial upgrading: By 2025 , it is planned to cultivate 10 independent brands with international competitiveness and promote the transformation of the industry towards high-quality development.
Social governance: The 12313 hotline and public reports have become important sources of clues, accounting for 23% in 2024. All sectors of society are encouraged to participate in supervision and form a joint supervision force.
Conclusion: Pay equal attention to regulation and development, and embrace compliance to achieve long-term stability
This press conference clarified the direction of e-cigarette regulation: it is not only to "curb chaos" but also to "lay the foundation" for the industry. For enterprises, they need to strictly comply with regulatory requirements and accelerate compliance transformation; for the public, they should enhance their understanding of e-cigarettes and jointly create a healthy market environment. Only by embracing compliance can we achieve long-term development within the norms!
Source: 雾影智库
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