KATHMANDU, June 28: The Patan High Court has ordered the government not to impose restrictions on the import and sale of electronic cigarettes, popularly known as 'vapes.'
A Division Bench of Justices Kabi Prasad Neupane and Hemant Rawal paved the way for the import and sale of vapes. Issuing a verdict on a writ petition filed by Vape Mandu Traders against the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Health, the Department of Customs, and the Department of Commerce, Supplies and Consumer Protection, the High Court instructed the government to lift the ban.
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In an attempt to ban electronic cigarettes, the National Health Education, Information and Communication Center under the Ministry of Health and Population had earlier issued a circular to the concerned government agencies to impose a ban on vape trading. Citing Sub-rule 3 of Rule 28 of the Tobacco Products Control and Regulation Directive, 2015—which prohibits the production, import, sale, distribution, consumption in public places and public transport, and promotion and advertisement of electronic cigarettes through the media—the government body had issued circulars seeking compliance with the law.
Government records show that the use of vapes has been on the rise in recent days. In the last Fiscal Year 2023/24, the government collected customs revenue worth over Rs 230 million from vape transactions. Following the government circulars, customs offices had stopped clearing imported vapes.
