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Nicotine content in e-cigarette liquids

In Hong Kong, nicotine-containing e-cigarette products (including e- cigarette liquids) are pharmaceutical products controlled under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance (Cap. 138). Pharmaceutical products are required to meet the criteria of safety, efficacy and quality, and be registered with the Pharmacy and Poisons Board of Hong Kong before they can be distributed or sold in Hong Kong. In addition, nicotine is a Part 1 poison under Cap. 138 and Part 1 poisons can only be sold at pharmacy under the supervision of a registered pharmacist. Illegal sale or possession of Part 1 poisons or unregistered pharmaceutical products is a criminal offence, and is liable to a maximum penalty of $100,000 fine and two years' imprisonment upon conviction.

In recent years, there have been a number of convictions related to the sale or possession of unregistered pharmaceutical products or Part 1 poisons under Cap. 138 that involved e-cigarette liquids containing nicotine. Products in some of these cases did not label nicotine as one of the ingredients. Therefore, there are potentially serious consequences of selling e-cigarette products of unknown content.

E-cigarette liquids contain at least a few dozens of chemical compounds, including nicotine and carcinogens such as formaldehyde and acetaldehyde. Some of these products may not list out all chemical substances they contained on the product package. Overseas testing of e-cigarette liquids found a substantial number of these products containing nicotine but failed to list it out on the product package.

E-cigarettes are harmful to health. There have been numerous reports on the adverse incidents relating to the consumption of e-cigarettes worldwide. Nicotine is highly addictive and being controlled in Hong Kong. The Department of Health will proactively enforce the prohibition against illegal sale and distribution of Part 1 poisons or unregistered nicotine-containing e-cigarette liquids. We advise retailers to refrain from selling e-cigarette products, in particular e- cigarette liquids in which you are unclear of the ingredients.