Prognosis
Hong Kong Bans E-Cigarettes in Latest Blow for Big Tobacco
- Territory joins 27 other countries to ban smokeless devices
- Products have come under fire for their appeal among youth
A woman smoking an e-cigarette.
Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Hong Kong is banning alternative smoking devices -- the latest setback to the tobacco industry’s efforts to find growth markets as cigarette demand shrinks worldwide.
In a surprise reversal, Hong Kong will impose a ban on e-cigarettes, a next-generation category of smokeless tobacco products, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said in a policy address Wednesday.