TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The National Police Agency confirmed to Taiwan News on Thursday (March 23) that police can now issue on the spot fines of up to NT$10,000 (US$330) to those caught vaping after Taiwan’s legislature passed amendments to Taiwan’s Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act on Wednesday (March 22).

E-cigarette users can either be fined on the spot, or photo and video evidence can be used by the government to send the fines to violators' registered addresses, similar to fines currently issued for smoking in non-smoking areas, jaywalking, and other minor offences. The fine for vaping is now the same as for smoking in areas designated as non-smoking, between NT$2000 and NT$10,000.

The amendments passed on Wednesday also increase the legal age for purchasing cigarettes from 18 to 20, and prohibits the sale of electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products. Importers, manufacturers, and sellers can now be fined up to NT$50 million.

A government press release outlining the changes said that previous legal mechanisms to enforce vaping bans had been insufficient, and that cooperation between central and local authorities to clamp down on the distribution of illegal tobacco products will be increased. There are presently about 200 vape stores across Taiwan, according to Storm Media.

The global market for e-cigarettes has an estimated value of US$8.28 billion, and as the debates over the merit of vaping as a smoking cessation aide rage on, over 40 countries have banned the practice. According to John Hopkins Medicine, while vaping is less harmful than smoking tobacco, it is still not safe, and it is not the most effective aid to quitting smoking.

The U.K. health services have cautiously embraced vaping as an aide to quitting smoking, though recent studies have challenged this approach.