An individual is photograph vaping an electronic cigarette in Quezon City on May 31, 2024. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File

HONG KONG, China -- Hong Kong will ban the possession and use of e-cigarette cartridges in public by mid-2026, the city's top health official said on Sunday as the government pushed ahead with its anti-tobacco agenda.

Vaping remains common in Hong Kong even though the Chinese finance hub banned the import, manufacture and sale of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products in April 2022.

"To protect our young people, we believe it is time to ban the use of e-cigarette cartridges," Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau said on a television program.

"We will start by legislating against outdoor possession and use," Lo said. "Once the public is accustomed to (the ban), we will implement it in all places."

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The policy -- first floated last year as a blanket ban on e-cigarettes -- will be sent to the legislature in April with the goal of taking effect by mid-2026, Lo said.

The ban will start with public places because there will be "many enforcement problems" in indoor areas.

The World Health Organization said last year that around 35 countries have banned the sale of e-cigarettes.

Hong Kong authorities hope to reduce the smoking prevalence rate to 7.8 percent this year, down from 9.1 percent in 2023.

Following a 2022 law, anyone in Hong Kong who imports e-cigarettes can be punished by up to seven years in jail and a fine of HK$2 million ($257,000), while sellers and manufacturers can be jailed for up to six months.

Lo said many of the people still vaping in Hong Kong relied on illegal imports and that e-cigarette cartridges or pods have become a tool for recreational drug use.

Authorities have scrambled to crack down on the rising use of etomidate -- an anesthetic nicknamed "space oil" that is often inhaled through vaping.

As part of its legislative push, the Hong Kong government will also propose in April banning non-menthol flavored cigarettes.

© Agence France-Presse