DTI reminds public: No vape sales within school premises

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has issued a renewed warning to vape sellers, reminding them that selling or promoting vape products within school premises, or even within 100 meters of them, is strictly prohibited under Republic Act No. 11900, also known as the Vape Law.

RA 11900 bans the sale, promotion, advertisement, and demonstration of vaporized nicotine and non-nicotine products in areas frequented by minors, particularly schools.

From January 2024 to June 2025, the DTI reported confiscating a total of 49,981 vape units, with 22 notices of violation issued to establishments caught operating within the restricted zones.

First-time violators may be fined P10,000 or face imprisonment of up to 30 days, at the court's discretion. Repeat offenders will face both penalties and revocation of their business permits. For corporate violators, liability falls on the owner, president, or general manager.

Minors found selling, buying, or using vapes will be referred to intervention programs under the Department of Health and Department of Social Welfare and Development.

To enforce compliance, the DTI is working closely with the Philippine National Police–Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP–CIDG) for monitoring and crackdown operations.

Consumers are also encouraged to report violations via the DTI–Office for the Special Mandate on Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products (OSMV)'s Citizen and Stakeholder Communications (CSC) System.

According to figures analyzed by the Sin Tax Coalition using data from the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST–FNRI), the number of young Filipino vape users rose dramatically — from 37,513 in 2021 to 423,185, marking a 1,100 percent increase.

Despite laws prohibiting such practices, medical professionals remain alarmed. In a recent press briefing, a doctor from the Philippine Academy of Pediatric Pulmonologists warned that adolescent vape usage continues to climb.