10.2. SR 09-08-2015 - Laserfiche WebLink

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E-cigarettes: an evidence update 85 12. International perspectives Overview Internationally, countries have taken a wide variety of approaches to regulating EC [156]. Current approaches range from complete bans on the sale of any EC, to applying existing laws on other products to EC (poison, nicotine, and/or tobacco laws), to allowing EC to be sold under general consumer product regulations. Similarly, within countries, different laws have also been applied at the state/provincial level, along with municipal by-laws, extending into areas including taxes on EC, and bans on use in places where smoking is banned. Furthermore, several nuances in laws exist, making it difficult to make broad statements about the regulations in a given country. This section focuses on presenting (1) studies that have compared the use of EC internationally across countries using representative samples and comparable methods, (2) a brief review of adolescent surveys internationally, and (3) the cases of Australia and Canada, two countries that have very similar tobacco control policies to the UK but very different policies relating to EC. Use of e-cigarettes among adults internationally Three studies have compared the use of EC internationally: (1) International Tobacco Control Project (described in the Methodology section), (2) Eurobarometer study and (3) Global Adult Tobacco Survey. The International Tobacco Control Project compared E C use (use defined as less than monthly or more often) among smokers and ex-smokers across 10 countries [157]. Gravely et al., 2014 found significant variability in use across countries, but data were gathered across different years. Gravely et al., 2014 concluded that the study provided evidence of the rapid progression of EC use globally, and that variability was due partly to the year the survey was conducted, but also market factors, including different regulations on EC. Notably, EC use was highest in Malaysia at 14%, whe re a ban on EC was in place. Two studies using secondary data from the 2012 Eurobarometer 385 survey have examined EC use. Vardavas, et al., 2014 [158] examined ever use (tried once or twice) of EC among smokers, ex-smokers and never smokers aged 15 years and over across 27 EU countries. The study found wide variation in ever EC use among smokers and non-smokers, with ever use varying from 20.3% among smokers, 4.4% among ex- smokers, and 1.1% among never smokers. Of those who had tried, 69.9% reported using EC once or twice, and 21.1% and 9% reported ever using or currently using occasionally or regularly (use or used regularly or occasionally). It is important to note that the question asked about ever using or currently using occasionally or regularly,