Electronic cigarettes are newcomers and since research is still carried out in many countries, legislation is pending in many places around the world. Below is a brief discussion of the legal status of electronic cigarettes.

In Australia, the sale of the new product is banned. Health Minister Nicola Roxon had stated that electronic cigarettes are ‘another insidious, manipulative attempt to hook people on smoking.’ In his view, electronic cigarettes promote the smoking habit among young people. The Federal Department on Health and Aging stipulated that all nicotine containing products, apart from replacement therapies, are considered a form of poison.

In Canada, advertising, import, and sale of electronic cigarettes are also banned. Health Canada recently warned that the new product had not been evaluated in full with regard to safety, efficacy, and quality. In this sense, the agency recommends the use of other products, approved for use, such as nicotine inhalers, patches, gums, and lozenges.

The use of electronic cigarettes is permitted in the Netherlands, but advertising is forbidden prior to legalization on the part of EU. In United Kingdom, the use of the product is currently restricted. Tests, conducted by trading standards officers, have revealed that some of the electronic cigarettes on the UK market do not comply with product safety regulations. Hence, MHRA had ruled out that some e-cigarette brands could not be categorized as medicinal products.

In Singapore, the import and sale of the product is forbidden, even if intended for personal use. United States, on the other hand, permits the use of electronic cigarettes, but some of the imports are not allowed in the country. FDA has been examining shipments at the border and more than 50 of those had been detained. The FDA Principle Deputy Commissioner Joshua Sharfstein stated that public health experts in the United States have been concerned about the fact that use of the product among young people may lead them to try regular tobacco products.