The World Health Organization (WHO) awarded this Tuesday for the World No Tobacco Day to the Mexican president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, for his policies against this substanceincluding a new decree that prohibits electronic cigarettes and vapers.
The award is “a recognition of his leadership and unwavering support to strengthen tobacco control measures in Mexico,” said Miguel Malo Serrano, WHO representative in the country, to the present the award to López Obrador during the morning conference at the National Palace.
“It is also a recognition, Mr. President, reaffirming the importance of tobacco control and, above all, permanently ensuring that the right to health of the Mexican population is above the interests of the market,” said Malo Serrano.
The WHO representative stressed that the steps taken by the president of Mexico “led to the unanimous approval of the reform of the General Tobacco Control Law in 2021which have resulted in a total ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship”.
He also highlighted “the creation of smoke-free environments throughout the country.”
López Obrador’s nomination for the award was proposed by the Inter-institutional Committee for the Fight against Tobacco, “one of the historical coalitions in Mexico” in the fight against this substance, the international official detailed.
The WHO established World No Tobacco Day on May 31, 1987 to control the drug.
Malo Serrano argued that “tobacco not only kills people, but it is also harming our mother earth,” citing that the industry cuts down 600 million trees each year, emits 84 million metric tons of carbon dioxide and uses 22,000 million liters of water.
Mexico bans vapers
At the event, the president of Mexico also signed the decree that prohibits the circulation and commercialization of electronic nicotine administration systems, electronic cigarettes and vaporizers.
The WHO representative denounced that the tobacco industry “perversely” is targeting these products to minors.
“It is for us in the region, those control measures for new tobacco productsa benchmark, because it is an example of a policy to safeguard and protect the health and well-being, mainly of children and adolescents,” said Malo Serrano.
López Obrador has fought electronic cigarettes during his administration with previous measures that prohibited their importation.
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But the Supreme Court declared in October 2021 the absolute ban on electronic cigarettes unconstitutional on the grounds that it “violates free trade.”
Despite the legal uncertainty, the president argued on Tuesday that “it is putting the issue on the table.”
“Because I’m sure, or I stop being called Andrés Manuel, that most mothers and fathers don’t know about the damage it causes, it’s a matter of information,” he said.
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