Mexico's Senate has passed legal reforms that could impose up to eight years in jail and fines of up to 226,000 pesos ($12,500) for the production or sale of vapes and electronic cigarettes, a massive ramp-up of enforcement measures that critics call overly restrictive.
The changes to the General Health Law, ratified late Wednesday by pro-government senators after clearing the lower house on Tuesday, now await enactment by President Claudia Sheinbaum, who supports the legislation.
"There's this idea that not smoking tobacco or a cigarette can be replaced by using a vape, and the truth is that vapes, in some cases, are even more harmful than cigarettes," Sheinbaum said on Friday. "You shouldn't smoke cigarettes, and you shouldn't use vapes."
Following the rise of anti-tobacco measures worldwide, Mexico banned smoking in most public spaces about two decades ago. In recent years, the government has turned its attention to limiting the sale of vapes and electronic cigarettes, which are also prohibited in Argentina and Brazil amid increasing concern over health impacts.
Mexico has not banned the actual use of vapes.
Sheinbaum said the government is working with state authorities to curb potential illegal markets for these products, noting concerns over organized crime involvement. She did not discuss when the new rules would go into effect.
Opposition Senator Luis Colosio criticized the reforms, calling them "prohibitionist." During the debate on Thursday, he said the government was avoiding its responsibility to regulate and monitor the industry by opting instead for an outright ban.
"Prohibitions are nothing more than an easy way out of a problem they either don't want to or can't control," Colosio said.
Despite the measures, vapes and e-cigarettes remain readily available in Mexico City's retail stores, and authorities have yet to outline plans to address street-level sales.
"It would be good if they banned them because people like me keep buying them, and the truth is, they're very cheap everywhere," a Mexico City resident identified as Valentina told broadcaster Milenio TV.
