President Andrés Manuel López Obrador Tuesday signed a decree banning the sale of vaporizers and electronic cigarettes in Mexico. The announcement came on World No Tobacco Day and follows the Mexican government’s anti-vaping policy.
The decree amends Mexico’s General Law for Tobacco Control.
President López, at the press conference announcing the ban, said “Regardless of the decree that we are going to sign so that commercialization is not allowed, it is to put the issue on the table because I am certain that most mothers and fathers do not know the damage it causes. It is a matter of information.” Similarly Assistant Health Secretary Hugo López Gatell contended the vaping has been marketed in Mexico using false pretenses that it is safer than traditional tobacco products and criticized the tobacco industry’s claims as a “big lie.”
Earlier in February, President López signed a decree amending and repealing several General Law for Tobacco Control provisions. The decree prohibited advertisement, promotion, and sponsorship of tobacco products and prohibited individuals to consume tobacco products and nicotine in public places.
Last year, the Mexican government passed a decree amending the Tariff of the Law of General Taxes on Imports and Exports, thereby prohibiting the import of vaping devices. Additionally, consumer protection legislation and other legislation had been employed to curb tobacco consumption.
Further, President López was also awarded World Health Organizations’ (WHO) Special Recognition award for “unwavering leadership and support to strengthen tobacco control measures in Mexico.”
