Mexico's lower house passes constitutional ban on e-cigarettes, vapes

Mexican lower house lawmakers on Tuesday overwhelmingly passed a proposal to alter the constitution to include a ban on e-cigarettes and vaping devices as well as a crackdown on synthetic drugs such as fentanyl.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

Former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who sent the proposal to Congress before leaving office this year, had argued that smoking devices were damaging public health, with children particularly susceptible to getting hooked.

ADDITIONAL CONTEXT

Lopez Obrador had already banned such devices through a presidential decree, though they remain widely available for purchase. Millions of Mexicans, meanwhile, smoke traditional cigarettes, which remain legal.

The reform passed by the legislature on Tuesday also sanctions "production, distribution and sale of toxic substances, chemical precursors, the illicit use of fentanyl and other non-authorized synthetic drugs."

Fentanyl, while approved for some use medically, is also by and large banned in Mexico.

BY THE NUMBERS

The measure passed, in general terms, with 410 votes in favor and 24 against.

Less than 1 million people from ages 12 to 65 reported regularly using a vape in 2022, according to federal data cited by lawmakers. Meanwhile, around 500,000 teens and 300,000 adults used e-cigarettes.

KEY QUOTES

"We value girls', boys', and young people's right to good health above economic and political interests," said Workers' Party lawmaker Mary Carmen Bernal, who belongs to the ruling bloc.

Opposition legislator Ector Jaime Ramirez, meanwhile, said banning fentanyl and vaping in the same reform was excessive and "trivializing to the effort being made to combat the most addictive and dangerous drugs."

WHAT'S NEXT

The reform is now set to head to the senate, where the ruling Morena party and its allies hold a strong majority.