DTI clamps down on errant vape sellers

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MANILA -The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will further tighten monitoring of sellers of vape products, vowing to go after those that violate selling rules.

Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual gave the order last Monday to ensure that the restrictions on the sale of vaporized nicotine and nonnicotine products, as provided under Republic Act No. 11900 or the “Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Act”, are being implemented.

“We aim to balance the interest of both businesses [or] manufacturers and also protect our youth from these harmful substances,” Pascual said.

The DTI said that as of June 1, 214 stores out of the 583 physical stores they have monitored were found noncompliant, plus 28,409 online stores out of the 28,584.

To date, the DTI has issued a notice of violation or show cause order to 72 firms, as well as confiscated 13,784 products worth P4.3 million from noncompliant stores.

The government agency said that violations range from not following rules on product packaging to restrictions on product advertisements and sponsorships, as well on the prohibition on the use of these vape products in public places.

The DTI said that as of June 1, 74 formal charges had been lodged with their Fair Trade and Enforcement Bureau.

Meanwhile, the country’s two largest e-commerce platforms, Lazada and Shopee, said they had taken their own measures to ensure that partner sellers selling vape products were following the law.

Lazada said it has been aggressive in its efforts against counterfeit products, noting that it had already taken down three million prohibited listing on its platform.

“Lazada has stringent policies and measures to prevent the sale of any products that violate these laws, including advanced algorithms and systems, and dedicated teams to proactively identify any listings that may be deemed as unlawful commerce listings,” the company said in a statement provided to the Inquirer.

“Lazada’s platform also has clear reporting mechanisms and a swift review process that addresses such concerns quickly and effectively. We recognize that the fight against counterfeits is an ongoing one, especially as malicious agents’ tactics also evolve to evade enforcements,” it added.

For its part, Shopee said it has been striving to foster a safe and compliant environment for users in their platform.

“We take measures to ensure that sellers comply with the Vape Law through regular communications and proactive screening of listings and we remain diligent in taking down non-compliant listings,” Shopee said in a statement sent to the Inquirer.

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