Consumer group urges Assembly to close loopholes on youth e-cigarette use

The Consumer Network for Public Interest urged the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee to immediately process the pending Tobacco Business Act amendment bill.

The network stated in a release on Tuesday that the Tobacco Business Act amendment has been repeatedly obstructed during review. "Do not delay legislation for youth protection any longer," it urged.

The group emphasized that immediate legislation -- not partisan bickering -- is needed to protect youth from harm caused by the regulatory vacuum around synthetic nicotine.

The current Tobacco Business Act defines only nicotine extracted from tobacco leaves as tobacco, meaning synthetic, imitation, and nicotine-free products are completely exempt from basic regulations, such as warning labels, advertising and promotional restrictions, bans on unmanned-store and online sales, and taxation.

As a result, youth can easily purchase these products through unmanned stores and online platforms, while provocative marketing using fruit and dessert flavors lures them in.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's “2024 Youth Health Behavior Survey,” the use of liquid-type e-cigarettes among youth is rapidly increasing. The National Forensic Service's “Drug Appraisal White Paper” has also reported cases where liquid-type e-cigarettes are being misused as a delivery route for new types of drugs.

The network called for immediate processing of the Tobacco Business Act amendment and for new nicotine products, including synthetic and nicotine-free types, to be classified as "tobacco."

It also urged the establishment of minimum protective measures, such as blocking unmanned and online sales, and mandating warning labels and graphic health warnings, emphasizing that the government must immediately prepare effective enforcement decrees upon the bill's passage and strengthen youth prevention and monitoring systems.

The network stressed that tobacco regulation is the minimum social safety net for public health and youth protection and called for substantive institutional improvements, including revisions to the Tobacco Business Act, during this National Assembly session.