Tag: ban on e-cigarettes

  • Brazil Agency Upholds Vaping Sales Ban

    Brazil Agency Upholds Vaping Sales Ban

    Image: VlaDee/pavlofox

    The board of directors for the Brazilian Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) voted unanimously on April 19 to maintain a ban on the sale of e-cigarettes and other vaping products, reports Brazil Reports.

    Manufacturing, selling, importing and advertising vapes has been banned in the country since 2009, but e-cigarettes remain widely available in small shops and online stores across Brazil.

    According the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, 16.8 percent of students aged 13 to 17 said they had tried vaping at least once in their lives. An estimate 4 million Brazilians vape, according to Covitel, which carries out health-related surveys.

    Anvisa’s vote follows a public consultation on the measure. Anvisa justified its position based on the rise in underage vaping in countries that permit e-cigarettes, the addictive properties of nicotine and the lack of long-term studies on the effects of vaping on health, along with the potential impact of allowing vaping on Brazil’s overall tobacco control policies, which have been praised internationally.

    In July 2019, Brazil became the second country to fully implement all measures set out by the World Health Organization  with the aim of reducing tobacco consumption and protecting people from chronic non-communicable diseases.

    In voting to uphold the ban, Anvisa President Antônio Barra Torres cited a December 2023 World Health Organization publication recommending government prohibited electronic cigarettes based on current evidence.  

    The Brazilian Tobacco Industry Association, ABIFUMO, said that banning vapes is “ignoring the learnings of more than 80 countries that have already authorized their sale with clear rules for control, restriction of points of sale and taxation of manufacturers.”

    Philip Morris Brasil said that “maintaining the ban on vapes is out of step with the uncontrolled growth of the illicit market, proven to be accessible to around 4 million Brazilians who use a product daily without any control of quality.”

    Meanwhile, the Senate is debating a bill that would authorize the production, import, export and consumption of e-cigarettes in Brazil. The proposal is still in its early stages and does not have a date for voting.

     

  • Taxes had ‘No Impact’ on Singapore’s Vape Ban

    Taxes had ‘No Impact’ on Singapore’s Vape Ban

    The Singapore government said that the potential loss in revenue from tobacco tax was not a factor in its decision to ban the use of e-cigarettes in 2018.

    In his reply to a question by a Workers’ Party and Sengkang member of Parliament, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who is also the Minister for Finance, said, “The Government’s decision to ban the use of e-cigarettes in 2018 was based on public health considerations, to protect our population from the harms of these products. The potential loss in tobacco tax revenue from the reduced consumption of tobacco products was not a factor in this decision.”

    … our priority is to protect the health of our population and prevent e-cigarettes from causing harm to our people, especially to younger Singaporeans.”

     

    Lawrence Wong

    Wong added that if the government were to legalize and tax e-cigarettes “the challenges would be similar to those we encounter for cigarettes and other tobacco products today,” according to a Yahoo news report.

    “In any case, the government has no plans to change our current approach, as our priority is to protect the health of our population and prevent e-cigarettes from causing harm to our people, especially to younger Singaporeans,” he said.

  • Panama’s Vapes Ban Heads to Supreme Court

    Panama’s Vapes Ban Heads to Supreme Court

    The Supreme Court of Panama has decided to hear a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the country’s ban on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.

    In early August, the Panamanian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association (ARDTP) filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Court, arguing that Law No. 315, which prohibits the use, sale, and import of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco in the country, is unconstitutional and should be repealed.

    The Panama Association for Tobacco Damage Reduction (ARDTP) had its appeal case advanced by the Supreme Court on Sept. 21 following a lawsuit, according to media reports.

    If the Supreme Court deems the unconstitutional statement valid, the 315 bill will return to the legislative body for modifications.

    Once the bill is amended, it will be resubmitted to the Supreme Court to confirm its constitutionality. A proposed new law is being drafted to replace the current 315 bill, thereby supporting provisions based on “risk.”

    Panama is one of several Latin American countries, including Mexico, Argentina, and Venezuela, that have implemented strict legislation since 2022 to restrict the use, sale, and import/export of vaping products.

    Many harm reduction advocates argue that the enactment of such legislation has resulted in the creation of a black market for safer nicotine products within their respective countries.

    The World Vapers Alliance (WVA) states that Panama’s Supreme Court’s decision to hear this lawsuit is a positive first step.

  • UAE may ease ban on e-cigarette sales

    The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is introducing regulations that may ease the ban on the sale of e-cigarettes within the country.

    Authorities from Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (Esma) in January sent a draft technical regulation to the World Trade Organization (WTO), which notified them of the UAE’s intention to regulate the sale of e-cigarettes. The document sent to the WTO states that the objective of the regulation is to protect human health by ensuring quality products are available in the market.

    The sale of e-cigarettes is currently banned in the UAE, which follows the cautious position adopted by the World Health Organization (WHO), according to a story in the Khaleej Times. Regulation of the sale of e-cigarettes is believed to be based on recent recommendations from the WHO that examine the emerging evidence on the health impacts of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), of which electronic cigarettes are the most common prototype, according to the Times.

    The health ministry of the UAE has banned the sale of e-cigarettes because experts have not yet determined the long-term effects of such devices on users.

    “E-cigarettes are considered as harmful as tobacco and not as a smoking cessation tool,” a source from the ministry was quoted as saying in the Times story. “Currently conflicting studies are going on this matter which cannot be used as justifications to allow products into the country,” added the source.

    Despite the ban on e-cigarette sales, the devices have been illegally imported and sold across throughout the UAE.