Mexico on Tuesday banned sales of e-cigarettes and other vaping devices because of concerns about their health effects.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said it was a “lie” to claim that e-cigarettes are a safe alternative to inhaling tobacco smoke.
“The vapors are also harmful for health,” said Lopez Obrador, who signed a decree introducing the ban on World No Tobacco Day.
He showed a pink vaping device to illustrate how the products are intended to appeal to young people.
“Look at the color, the design,” Lopez Obrador said.
Meanwhile, Mexico City authorities announced that smoking of any kind would be prohibited in the capital’s main square, the Zocalo, and surrounding areas in the busy historic district.
City Hall said that the move was aimed at raising awareness of the health risks.
Smoking has been banned in closed spaces, government offices, shops, bars and restaurants for more than a decade, with exceptions for certain entertainment venues.
Mexico in October last year prohibited the import and export of vaping devices and cartridges, but companies have continued to sell their inventory, Mexican Deputy Minister of Health Hugo Lopez-Gatell said.
The new ban covers “the circulation and marketing of these new products,” Lopez-Gatell said.
The Mexican Congress is additionally expected to discuss an initiative to expand smoking bans to beaches, stadiums and open-air entertainment venues.
Smoking “is harmful to health and that has been proven,” said Alejandra Jimenez, a 25-year-old receptionist. “I think [the measure] is something good so that people don’t get sick.”
However, Raphael, who sells tobacco-related products, said he was against the move.
“The ban is based on bad fundamentals, mainly because vaping is meant to stop or slow increased tobacco use in our country,” he said.
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