Deep Dive: Hong Kong expected to ban flavoured tobacco, but bar owners worry they could lose business

Hong Kong is expected to ban the possession and use of e-cigarette cartridges in public places starting in mid-2026, the city’s health minister has said. There will also be a sales ban on flavoured tobacco.

They are among 10 short-term measures proposed by the government last June. The city aims to further decrease its smoking rate to 7.8 per cent by this year from 9.4 per cent in 2023.

The health minister said the government aimed to submit the relevant bill to the Legislative Council in April. It would implement the measures in stages.

A Hong Kong anti-smoking group had previously called for a total ban on flavoured cigarettes after a survey found nearly 90 per cent of young female smokers opted for flavoured products.

“Flavoured tobacco is marketed as ‘healthier’, especially targeting young people and women,” said Henry Tong Sau-chai. He is the chairman of the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health.

The second stage of the ban would cover menthol, a commonly used additive. According to Tong, menthol masks the harshness and bitterness of tobacco with a cooling sensation. This makes the smoke smoother and easier to inhale.

Tong said these features encouraged smokers to inhale more deeply. This allowed harmful substances to be deposited further into the lungs.

The anaesthetic effect of menthol also suppresses the body’s reactions to nicotine. It could amplify the rewarding sensation and make it harder for smokers to quit.

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In a recent study, a research team at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) polled 5,600 Cantonese speakers aged 15 and above through landline phones and mobiles from January to May last year.

The study found that half of the current smokers polled used flavoured cigarettes, while 71 per cent of female smokers opted for the products. Among female smokers aged 15 to 29, the use of flavoured cigarettes reached 86 per cent.

Another survey polled 14,440 primary school students and 28,395 secondary school students in 2022 and 2023.

It found that 3 per cent of primary school students and 8 per cent of secondary school students had tried smoking products.

Most of these students tried flavoured smoking products for their first experience. Those who started with flavoured products were more likely to become daily cigarette smokers.

“Teenagers and women are increasingly attracted to flavoured tobacco products. This makes it more likely that they will take up smoking, develop an addiction and continue smoking as a habit,” said Kelvin Wang Man-ping, a professor at the school of nursing at HKU.

1. According to News, which of the following are true?

(1) Women are more likely to smoke flavoured cigarettes than flavourless ones.
(2) A poll found that 8 per cent of primary school students and 3 per cent of secondary school students had tried smoking products.
(3) Menthol makes the sensation of smoking more harsh and bitter.
(4) Hong Kong aims to reduce its smoking rate by 1.3 per cent from 2023 to 2025.

A. (1), (2) only
B. (1), (4) only
C. (2), (3) only
D. (3), (4) only

2. Why does Tong say menthol is so harmful?

3. According to News, why do experts want a total ban on flavoured cigarettes rather than all tobacco products?

1. What is implied about the cigarettes depicted in the cartoon?

2. What societal concern about smoking does this cartoon highlight, and how does this connect to the information presented in News?

• Some in the industry suggest special licenses, transition period to help bar owners

• Ban could encourage users to go to illegal venues with indoor smoking

Some working in Hong Kong’s tourism and hospitality sectors have voiced concerns over the impact of stamping out flavoured tobacco and shisha, urging authorities to postpone or reconsider the bans.

Nicholas*, a clerk who since 2021 has invested in two Causeway Bay bars that specialise in shisha, said his businesses might close under a ban.

“Flavours are what make shisha interesting,” he said. “There’s a chance that we will close the business as 80 per cent of sales will drop. The only way to survive is to change to a pure bar business, but it is very competitive at this moment.”

He suggested that if the government insisted on the ban, it could allow for a transition period of two years for bars to adapt.

As a regular shisha smoker for the past six years, he said he and many of his friends did not smoke conventional cigarettes.

“We like shisha because it creates an atmosphere for us to chat and drink,” he said, adding that the ban might encourage users to seek out the product at illegal venues that offered indoor smoking.

Since 2007, indoor smoking has been outlawed in places such as bars and restaurants, which also applies to water pipe tobacco products. Smoking in the outdoor areas of restaurants is still allowed.

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The government recently announced it would submit a bill banning the public use of e-cigarettes and the sale of flavoured tobacco products, like shisha, by April. If passed, bans would start in mid-2026.

Another Causeway Bay shisha bar operator, who only gave his surname, Wong, also feared he may have to close his bar. “If it is banned in Hong Kong, people can easily travel to mainland China or Macau to smoke shisha,” said the 26-year-old, who has been in business for two years.

He suggested the government issue licences for bars to operate shisha activities and import the products into the city, which could make it easier to regulate the industry and limit the number of shisha smokers.

However, Chin Chun-wing, chairman of the Hong Kong Bar and Club Association, said a ban would not greatly impact the wider industry as fewer than 10 per cent of bars offered legal water pipe smoking activities.

Allan Zeman, the chairman of Lan Kwai Fong Group, said customers could opt for non-flavoured alternatives.

Staff writers

1. According to Issue, which of the following are true?

(1) Nicholas enjoys smoking shisha because of its social atmosphere.
(2) Chin believes that a ban on flavoured tobacco would not have a huge impact on the bar and nightlife industry.
(3) Smoking indoors has been illegal in Hong Kong since 2001.
(4) Smoking non-flavoured shisha products would not be allowed under the ban.

A. (1), (2) only
B. (1), (3) only
C. (2), (4) only
D. (3), (4) only

2. Using the information in Issue, list at least TWO concerns about a blanket ban on flavoured tobacco products.

3. How would shisha bars have to adapt under a ban on flavoured tobacco products, and what do the interviewees suggest the government do instead?

1. What is happening in this photo? How does it relate to the information in Issue?

2. According to Issue, what could shisha smokers do if there is a blanket ban on flavoured tobacco products?

additive: something added to a product to change it

menthol: a chemical naturally found in peppermint and other mint plants that can also be made in a lab. It is known for its minty taste and cooling sensation and is often used in medicines, hygiene products, and smoking products.

anaesthetic: a drug or other substance that causes a loss of feeling or awareness

landline phones: telephones that connect to a network through physical wires or cables. They must stay fixed to a certain location and often sit in a person’s home. These types of phones have existed for more than a century and used to be the primary method of communication before mobile phones.

shisha: a device used for smoking tobacco. It consists of a head, body, water bowl and a hose. It is also called a hookah or a water pipe. A piece of hot coal is used to heat up the device, which is often filled with flavoured tobacco.

1. B

2. Tong says that menthol feeds into addiction, as the product’s cooling sensation can be used to cover up the harshness and bitterness of tobacco. This makes the smoking experience more pleasant, as it is easier to inhale the smoke more deeply, which can, in turn, cause more lung damage. Menthol can also suppress reactions to tobacco and heightens pleasurable sensations, which makes quitting harder.

3. Experts say that young people are more likely to gravitate towards flavoured tobacco products because the flavours are more enticing. Those using flavoured products are more likely to become daily smokers. Flavoured products are also marketed as ‘healthier’ despite creating a lot of health risks.

1. The cartoon implies the cigarettes that the child is smoking are flavoured cigarettes. The proposed ban would eliminate flavoured tobacco products, while flavourless cigarettes would remain legal. This means the child is smoking illegal flavoured products.

2. This cartoon sheds light on the problem of adolescent smoking, as the police officer is speaking to a child who is below the legal smoking age. According to News, 3 per cent of primary school students and 8 per cent of secondary school students had tried smoking products, and children are more likely to be drawn to flavoured cigarettes.

1. A

2. There are worries that these bans will put many shisha bars out of business, as many people go to these establishments for the specific purpose of smoking shisha. Additionally, a ban may not even stop smokers from picking up flavoured tobacco products, as they might flock to illegal indoor establishments that offer them.

3. Shisha bars could switch to purely alcoholic bars, but, as Nicholas pointed out, it would be difficult as there is a lot of competition in this field. Wong suggested the government instead give licences to bars so they could have shisha, which would make it easier to regulate the industry and limit the number of shisha smokers. Nicholas also suggested that the government allow a transition period of two years to allow bars to adapt.

1. This is a photo from a bar in Knutsford Terrace in Tsim Sha Tsui. People are drinking and chatting, but the main focus of the photo is of a woman smoking shisha and using her phone.

2. Zeman suggested that shisha smokers opt for non-flavoured versions. Alternatively, Wong said they can go to Macau or mainland China to smoke shisha.