Panama’s president vetoed a ban passed by the National Assembly in 2020, then waited nearly a year to approve the 2021 bill. Panama already banned the sale of electronic cigarette by executive order in 2014.
President Laurentino Cortizo approved the bill on June 30. The new law bans the sale and import of all electronic cigarette and tobacco heaters products, whether devices with or without nicotine.Including disposable vape,vape accessories,etc.
The law does not criminalize the use of e-cigarettes, but prohibits smoking in any place where smoking is not permitted. The new law also bans online shopping and gives customs officials the power to inspect, detain and confiscate goods.
More than a dozen Latin American and Caribbean countries have bans on e-cigarettes, including Mexico, whose president recently issued a decree banning the sale of vaping and tobacco heaters products.
The Republic of Panama borders Colombia and connects north and South America. Its famous Panama Canal divides the narrow country in two, providing an unimpeded passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Panama has a population of about 4 million.
Panama will host next year’s FCTC meeting. The main impetus for these laws comes from the Staunchly anti-e-cigarette World Health Organization (WHO) and its affiliated Bloomberg charities, which are funded by tobacco control groups such as the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and the Coalition. Their influence is strong in low – and middle-income countries and extends to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, an international treaty organization sponsored by WHO.
Panama will host the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (COP10) in 2023. While last year’s COP9 meeting was held online, FCTC leaders postponed discussions on e-cigarette laws and regulations until next year’s meeting.
Panama’s president and the country’s public health authorities may hope to receive high praise from the FCTC’s anti-e-cigarette leaders at the 2023 meeting. Panama could be rewarded for its no-vaping stance by the World Health Organization and regional tobacco control organizations.
Post time: Jul-13-2022
