Parliament has passed a bill aimed at strengthening protections for children and young people in the Cayman Islands against tobacco and nicotine products.
The Tobacco (Amendment) Bill, 2026 brings vaping and other nicotine products within the regulatory framework of the Tobacco Act.
The legislation prohibits the sale or supply of tobacco, vaping and nicotine products to anyone under the age of 18.
It prohibits the importation, manufacture and sale of disposable vaping products and prohibits the advertising and promotion of all vaping products.
In addition, it strengthens requirements relating to registration, health warnings, packaging, advertising, enforcement powers and penalties.
The bill first came before parliament for debate on 2 October, and amendments agreed during committee stage further strengthened and clarified the bill.
These included exemptions for legitimate medical and therapeutic products, strengthened provisions for enforcement authorities and provided transitional arrangements to give existing retailers time to comply with the new requirements.
The prohibition on the sale of tobacco and nicotine products to children will take effect immediately, while the ban on disposable vaping products will be subject to a six-month transition period.
Other provisions will come into effect as supporting regulations are developed and approved, with drafting work underway.
The Ministry has begun planning for implementation and will work closely with Customs, schools, the National Drug Council and other partners to support enforcement, public awareness and compliance with the new legislation.
In a press release on 7 October, health minister Katherine Ebanks-Wilks said the bill forms part of the government’s broader programme to protect public health.
She said it “strengthen protections for children and young people” and thanked the public, stakeholders and members of parliament who contributed to its development.
