allowed to import or export vaping products. only companies licensed for the sale of tobacco products can sell vaping products. advertising is banned. vaping is not allowed at work, in indoor public spaces, on public transportation or in cars when minors are present. spain: sales of e-cigarettes to people under 18 years is prohibited. the sale of products that imitate smoking (which also includes e-cigarettes) to minors is illegal. the ministry of health also said that the use and sale of e-cigarettes will soon be regulated. sweden: sale of e-cigarettes is legal to sell for anyone, but sales of nicotine e-liquid is illegal to sell to anyone under the age of 18. switzerland: in 2018, local swiss businesses successfully challenged the illegality of nicotine-containing liquids within the federal courts, immediately lifting the ban and enabling the sales of nicotine liquids countrywide, and in neighbouring liechtenstein, which follows the same laws. as of december 2011, the tobacco tax does not apply to e-cigarettes and respective liquids containing nicotine. ukraine: ukrainian law treats vaping products as tobacco products, subjecting them to all existing public smoking bans, meaning it’s illegal to vape anywhere smoking is not allowed. buyers must be at least 18 years old. united kingdom: in the united kingdom, the use, sale and advertising of e-cigarettes are legal, and e-cigarettes are not covered by laws restricting smoking in public places. however, businesses may choose to ban e-cigarettes. a notable example is transport for london, banning smoking and vaping as their conditions of carriage. most trains (and train platforms), airports, and coaches for public transportation have banned the use of e-cigarettes. effective 1 october 2015, it is illegal to sell e-cigarettes or e-liquids to minors. in 2014 the government announced legislation would be brought forward to outlaw the purchase of e-cigarettes by people under the age of 18. in october 2014 the uk's advertising standards authority changed the regulations on e-cigarette advertising, allowing the devices to appear in tv ads from 10 november. the first advert to take advantage of the change, promoting kik e-cigarettes, aired on the day it came into force. in june 2015 the welsh government announced that under legislation it planned to pass, in wales e-cigarettes would be included in existing bans on smoking in workplaces and other public spaces. in 2018, the royal college of physicians has recommended that regulation be proportionate in aiming to assure the safety of the devices, encouraging smokers to vape rather than use tobacco, and identify and stop effects that oppose the long-term objectives of the tobacco control strategy. as part of the eu's tobacco products directive (tpd) directives set out in 2014, which came into effect in 2017, the maximum nicotine content of a liquid allowed within the uk is 20 mg/ml, and bottles may not contain more than 10ml of liquid and must be child-proof, tamper evident. finally, all e-cigarettes and liquids sold within the uk must be registered with mhra by their respective manufacturers before they can be legally sold. following the united kingdom's withdrawal from the european union, the tobacco products and nicotine inhaling products (amendment) (eu exit) regulations 2020 took the place of the tpd as the governing regulatory instrument. gibraltar: sales of e-cigarettes is legal. the americas argentina: the sale, importation and manufacturing of e-cigarettes have been banned by the local regulatory authority. its use has also been discouraged by the national clinical practice guideline for tobacco cessation from lack of enough evidence. brazil: the sale, importation and advertising of any kind of e-cigarette is forbidden. the brazilian health and sanitation federal agency, anvisa, found the current health safety assessments about e-cigarettes to not be yet satisfactory for commercial approval eligibility. a no vaping sign in canada. canada: e-cigarettes are mostly unregulated. they are technically illegal to sell, as no nicotine-containing e-fluid is approved by health canada, but this is generally unenforced and they are commonly available for sale canada-wide. vancouver bans use of e-cigarettes in public places where smoking is prohibited. toronto bans use of e-cigarettes in city work spaces. the governing liberals recently introduced a provincial legislation in ontario to regulate e-cigarette devices. local vape shops in ontario currently trying to fight bill 45. the city of red deer bans electronic cigarette use where smoking is prohibited. mexico: the federal commission for the protection against sanitary risks had previously forbidden the selling and promotion of non-tobacco objects that included elements generally associated with tobacco products. the ban was overturned in court on 23 september 2015. panama: the importation, distribution and sale of e-cigarettes have been prohibited since june 2009. the ministry of health cites the fda findings as their reasoning for the ban. federal regulation prior to 8 august 2016, regulations concerning the use of e-cigarettes varied considerably across the united states, although there is more variation regarding laws limiting their use by youth than regarding multi-level regulations, such as banning their use in public places. the fda classified e-cigarettes as drug delivery devices and subject to regulation under the food, drug, and cosmetic act (fdca) before importation and sale in the us. the classification was challenged in court, and overruled in january 2010 by federal district court judge richard j. leon, explaining that "the devices should be regulated as tobacco products rather than drug or medical products." in march 2010, the u.s. court of appeals for the district of columbia stayed the injunction pending an appeal, during which the fda argued the right to regulate e-cigarettes based on their previous ability to regulate nicotine replacement therapies such as nicotine gum or patches. further, the agency argued that tobacco legislation enacted the previous year "expressly excludes from the definition of 'tobacco product' any article that is a drug, device or combination product under the fdca, and provides that such articles shall be subject to regulation under the pre-existing fdca provisions." on 7 december 2010, the appeals court ruled against the fda in a 3–0 unanimous decision, ruling the fda can only regulate e-cigarettes as tobacco products, and thus cannot block their import. the judges ruled that such devices would only be subject to drug legislation if they are marketed for therapeutic use – e-cigarette manufacturers had successfully proven that their products were targeted at smokers and not at those seeking to quit. the district columbia circuit appeals court, on 24 january 2011, declined to review the decision en banc, blocking the products from fda regulation as medical devices. in april 2014, the fda proposed new regulations for tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. the regulations require disclosure of ingredients used in e-cigarette liquids, proof of safety of those ingredients, and regulation of the devices used to vaporize and deliver the liquid. the fda proposed regulation would ban the sale of e-cigarettes with nicotine to any individual under 18 years of age. in august 2014, attorneys general from over two dozen states advised the fda to enact restrictions on e-cigarettes, including banning flavors. on 10 may 2016, the fda published their deeming regulations in the federal register, which were to take effect on 8 august 2016. vendors and companies had until two years afterward to prepare paperwork with the fda to have their product remain on the market. currently, there are lawsuits and amendments made in the works in congress to change that provision. the lack of research on the risks and possible benefits has resulted in precautionary policymaking in the us "which often lacks grounding in empirical evidence and results in spatially uneven diffusion of policy". the time by which applications to market regulated non-combustible tobacco product devices must be submitted for review has been extended to august 8, 2022. as of 8 august 2016, the fda extended its regulatory power to include e-cigarettes. under this ruling the fda will evaluate certain issues, including ingredients, product features and health risks, as well their appeal to minors and non-users. the fda rule also bans access to minors. a photo id is required to buy e-cigarettes, and their sale in all-ages vending machines is not permitted. the fda in september 2016 has sent warning letters for unlawful underage sales to online retailers and retailers of e-cigarettes. fda regulations have also applied to the advertising of e-cigarettes since 2016. per fda regulations, e-cigarettes, e-liquid, and associated products cannot be advertised as safer than other tobacco products unless they have received modified risk tobacco product (mrtp) status. as of august 2018, this status has not been granted to any e-cigarette or e-liquid product. though no companies have applied for an mrtp permit for their vaping products, similar heat-not-burn tobacco products have been denied mrtp status on the grounds that they are not safer than traditional cigarettes. on december 5, 2016 hud passed a rule banning the use of tobacco products in common areas and within each home unit. hud did not include e-cigarettes in their list of prohibited tobacco products, and they will allow each public housing agency to make that decision. the ban includes cigarettes, cigars, pipes and waterpipes (hookahs). e-cigarettes were not included because they believe there would be no maintenance cost savings or a lowered risk of destructive fires. hud commented that there is a lack of evidence that the vapor causes any damage to the units. the fda has been instrumental in the united states in regulating the use of e-cigarette products. beginning in may 2018, the fda began to crack down on e-liquid brands whose packaging resembles food or beverage products. fda is particularly concerned about e-liquids whose packaging resembles that of candy, juice boxes, and other products intended to appeal to children, because of concern that children will mistakenly drink the e-liquid and die of nicotine poisoning. nicotine is especially toxic to young children, and a 60 ml bottle of e-liquid with 11 mg/ml nicotine concentration, the average e-liquid bottle in the u.s., is likely to kill a child of age 4 or younger. as such, the fda has charged e-liquid products with branding that resembles food, candy, or beverage items as being misbranded and using false advertising, which is illegal under the tobacco control act of 2009 (specifically sections 903(a)(1) and 903(a)(7)(a) of the food, drug, and cosmetic act, 21 u.s.c. § 387c). in september 2018, the fda has further strengthened its youth tobacco prevention plan by targeting the e-cigarette industry with fines for retailers and manufactures that are illegally selling to youth. fda commissioner scott gottlieb, m.d., has indicated that this is a first step in a new and significant enforcement strategy against the e-cigarette industry. in november 2018, the fda announced new steps to curb youth vaping while still ensuring the adults who would benefit from e-cigarettes still had access to a healthier nicotine delivery system. sales of flavored tobacco products will be limited to adult only stores and online vendors with the exception of tobacco, mint or menthol e-cigarettes that will remain for sales wherever combustible cigarettes are sold (convenience stores). if the fda does not see a change in the illegal youth access of menthol or minty vapes currently 20% of their use, they will move to adjust their regulations. the decision to allow menthol vapes was to ensure that an alternative was present should an adult go to purchase menthol cigarettes. the age verification of online vendors for vape products will see an increased level of security. in the midst of an outbreak of lung illness in the us linked to vaping products, donald trump said in september 2019 that his administration is planning to propose a ban on e-cigarette liquid flavors. in december 2019, congress enacted a law raising the age for sale of all tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes, from 18 to 21 years old. in 2020, the fda ordered a halt on sales of vaping products with sweet and fruity flavors. in 2021, the fda has denied marketing approval for a large number of e-cigarette products. in 2022, the fda targeted the company juul, denying it a marketing application and ordering juul's products off of the us the market. however, some regulatory loopholes (specifically around disposable, pre-filled products) still allow flavored products from other companies. state regulation a no smoking or vaping sign from the us. in the united states, different measures have been taken to regulate e-cigarettes. in march 2010, new jersey