In a move considered outrageous amongst tobacco harm reduction experts, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has awarded Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, for banning vaping and heated tobacco products.
Presenting the award World No Tobacco Day which fell on May 31st, the official reason given for the award was the approval of a new Tobacco Law which includes a ban on the sales of all ENDS (Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems).
On signing the ban, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said that the claim that the products are a safer alternative to cigarettes is a “lie.” “The vapors are also harmful for health.”
He went on to show a pink vaping device to illustrate how the products are intended to appeal to young people. “Look at the color, the design,” said Lopez Obrador. Mexico had already banned the import and export of vape devices and cartridges last October, but since then many businesses had continued to sell their inventory. The new ban covers “the circulation and marketing of these new products,” added Obrador.
Diane Caruana – VapingPost – 2022-06-16.
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