The Plenary Session of the Chamber of Deputies approved in general and in particular a resolution that prohibits the use and marketing of electronic cigarettes and vaping devices. The ruling also vetoes the marketing and consumption of synthetic drugs, such as fentanyl.
The initiative, presented by the Constitutional Points Commission, includes additions to articles 4 and 5 of the Magna Carta. These establish that “to guarantee the right to protection of people’s health, the law will punish all activities related to electronic cigarettes, vaping devices and other similar electronic systems or devices indicated by law.” It restricts the production, distribution and disposal of “toxic substances, chemical precursors as well as the illicit use of fentanyl and other unauthorized synthetic drugs.” It also prohibits any work or commercial exercise linked to said compounds.
The resolution was endorsed with 327 votes in favor and 118 against. Rosa Guadalupe Ortega, deputy of the National Regeneration Movement (Morena) party, affirms that vapers and electronic cigarettes “are causing irreparable and irreversible damage to young people.” She argued that the aerosol that these devices release contains more than 80 harmful particles, including carcinogenic substances and heavy metals.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that electric cigarettes “are a trap” that endangers nearly 2 billion people worldwide. He points out that this technology was developed as a substitute for tobacco. Despite this, he points out that the majority of these devices contain nicotine, the substance responsible for generating addiction and with which brain development problems are associated, mainly in young people under 20 years of age.
César Alejandro Domínguez, representative of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, voted in favor of the reform. However, his bench presented a reservation that advocates for effective regulation rather than an absolute limitation of these alternative products. “Banning vapes would represent the opportunity for the proliferation of these options on the black market. This represents a risk for the 5 million Mexicans who currently use them,” he emphasizes.
The WHO notes that 85% of developed countries have initiatives to limit the use of vapes and similar products. Similar rules are in place in 40% of developing nations, while 79% of the poorest regions are working to control the sale of these devices.
For her part, Danisa Flores, legislator from Morena, spoke regarding the provisions related to synthetic drugs. It states that a highly lucrative business has been generated around fentanyl at the expense of the health of thousands of people. It recognizes that the problem must be addressed not only as a public health crisis, but also as a threat to the social fabric and national security. “Prohibit the distribution, production and disposal [del opioide] “In Mexico it will contribute to reducing the impact of drug trafficking and will help improve the relationship with international partners, such as the United States, which have requested stronger actions to combat this global emergency,” he adds.
Health authorities say that the consumption of this drug is out of control in the US market. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that nearly 107,500 people died in the region from fentanyl overdoses last year. Donald Trump, the president-elect of the United States, has accused Mexico, Canada and China of facilitating the situation. He has announced that he will apply new tariffs to all goods from these countries if their governments do not put an end to drug trafficking.
The reform project ratified by the Mexican deputies will be sent to the Senate of the Republic for evaluation. It is part of a package of 20 initiatives sent by former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador last February.
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