Paraguay President Bans Smoking, Heated Tobacco and Vaping in Public Places

According to foreign media reports, under Decree No. 4624 approved by the President of Paraguay on December 29, cigarettes, heated tobacco (HNB), and vaping products are allowed only in uncrowded outdoor public places that are not transit areas for non-smokers.
 
Pan American Health Organization Director Carissa F. Etienne said in a statement: “This is a great achievement for the people of Paraguay. The country has taken a huge step toward protecting its citizens from the devastating health, social, environmental, and economic consequences of smoking and exposure to tobacco smoke.”

Following Paraguay’s recent public smoking ban, all South American countries now have comprehensive smoke-free laws in place.

Adriana Blanco, head of the Secretariat of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), said: “This is a great moment not only for the health of Paraguayans, but for the entire South American region. Paraguay’s decree has created a completely tobacco-smoke-free subregion in the Americas.”

According to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, about 430 million people are currently protected by laws requiring public places and workplaces to be smoke-free. These laws also prohibit designated smoking areas.

This progress is the result of years of commitment and action by South American political leaders and civil society groups to fulfill the obligations set out in the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

When the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control came into force more than 15 years ago, Uruguay was the only country in South America providing broad protection for its citizens against secondhand smoke.