The « commercialisation » and the « circulation » e-cigarettes were banned in Mexico on Tuesday May 31, World No Tobacco Day. The reason ? End the ” lying “ which asserts that vapers are an alternative to cigarettes when they are “also bad for health”, according to Mexican President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador.
Electronic cigarettes heat a cartridge of liquid that usually contains nicotine. The user inhales the resulting vapour, mimicking traditional cigarettes. Proponents of vaping see it as an alternative to quitting smoking because unlike cigarettes there is no inhalation of tar or carbon monoxide.
But, more often than not, liquids contain nicotine, the substance that causes addiction. And their vapor contains fine particles whose long-term effects are unknown.
32 countries have banned the sale of e-cigarettes
Mexico is not the first country to make this decision. In July 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) identified « 32 pays » who “have banned the sale of electronic nicotine delivery devices” and 79 others have taken restrictive measures such as prohibiting advertising, promotion, or requiring the display of health warnings on packaging.
All justify their decision on health grounds. India banned the use and possession of e-cigarettes in September 2019 in the name of health imperatives and the fight against addictions. Any violation is punishable by one year in prison and a fine of €1,270. In the Philippines, anyone who breaks the law can be sentenced to four months in prison.
Argentina, Palestine, Singapore, Mauritius, Lebanon, Egypt or Gambia… In most countries, the rules vary between confiscation, fine, or even prison sentences. The WHO has welcomed these bans. The organization, for whom ” there is no doubt “ on the danger of electronic cigarettes for health, regularly calls for strict regulations to prevent young people in particular from using them.