Smoker rights groups yesterday protested outside the legislature in Taipei against a proposal to ban e-cigarettes. Holding signs that read: “Consumers have rights, too,” “Give me the freedom to choose” and “Do not force me to smoke cigarettes,” protesters said the government should not impose a blanket prohibition against e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products (HTPs). The government must respect the rights of smokers, they said, adding that it should offer people choices, instead of instituting an outright ban. The protest was in response to the legislature’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee considering changes to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act (菸害防制法) that would