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Myanmar announces ban on e-cigarettes, covering imports/exports, sales, possession and use

Feb.26
Myanmar announces ban on e-cigarettes, covering imports/exports, sales, possession and use
Myanmar’s Ministry of Health said it has received cabinet authorization to enforce an e-cigarette ban under the Essential Supplies and Services Law, listing prohibited acts including the import, export, sale, possession, storage, carrying, distribution and use of vaping products.

Key points

 

  • Myanmar’s Ministry of Health has announced a ban on the import, export, sale, possession and use of vaping products, following cabinet authorization.
  • The ban will be enforced under the Essential Supplies and Services Law.
  • The scope covers e-cigarettes, vape accessories and electronic shisha products, and applies to activities including import, export, sale, possession and use.
  • A Department of Public Health official said the move is based on rising youth use and that the health risks should not be ignored.

 

2Firsts, Feb. 26, 2026

 

According to Vaping360, Myanmar has banned the sale, import and possession of vaping products. The prohibition was announced on Feb. 20 by the Ministry of Health, which has received authorization from the cabinet.

 

Reports said the ban will be enforced under Myanmar’s Essential Supplies and Services Law. The law allows the government to take regulatory measures against products deemed to affect public health and public welfare.

 

The report noted that the law prohibits the “importation, exportation, sale, possession, storage, carrying, distribution, use and consumption” of e-cigarettes, vape accessories and electronic shisha products.

 

The report also said Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) previously had no specific law regulating vapes, although the military-controlled government has at times seized shipments of vaping products entering the country.

 

Kyaw Kan Kaung, an official at the Department of Public Health, said the new law is based on growing youth use and claimed that e-cigarettes are as dangerous as combustible cigarettes.

 

According to the Tobacco Atlas, Myanmar’s adult smoking rate among people aged 15 and above was 12.3% (overall, 2025), while the rate among male residents aged over 15 was 23.4% (2025). The smoking rate among boys aged 10–14 was 14.29% as of 2023, according to the same source.

 

The report added that cigarettes will remain legal.

 

It compared regulatory approaches across Southeast Asia, noting that countries in the region have adopted policies ranging from restrictions on sales/imports to penalties for possession and use, and that regulations vary widely.

 

  • Malaysia announced last autumn that it would reverse the liberalization of its vaping laws and would soon reimpose a ban;
  • Brunei and East Timor prohibit the sale of vapes but do not penalize individuals for possession or use;
  • Myanmar is set to join the countries with the toughest laws in Southeast Asia, banning not only sales but also personal possession and use;
  • Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam have similar laws;
  • Myanmar’s western neighbors India and Bangladesh have also banned e-cigarettes.

 

Cover image source: tobaccoreporter

 

References:
[1] Myanmar Bans Sale and Possession of Vapes
Also Read:
[1] Singapore Health Minister Ong Ye Kung receives SEATCA award for tobacco control and anti-vaping push
[2] UNODC Report: Etomidate-Laced E-Cigarettes Spreading Across Southeast Asia, Targeting Teens
[3] Word Vape Show Insights｜ Divergent Brand-Overseas Routes: UK Brands Target the Middle East, Southeast Asian Brands Land in Africa, and US Hits Struggling for Exports?

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