Panama Rejects Proposal to Regulate E-Cigarette Products, Continues WHO Strategy

According to foreign media reports today, Panamanian authorities have rejected a proposal to regulate e-cigarette products.

In March, the Panamanian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association, together with citizens who use e-cigarette products, submitted a proposal to regulate electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). The proposal sought to amend Law No. 315 of June 30, 2022, which prevents more than 170,000 Panamanian smokers from using ENDS products.

The Technical Secretariat for Economic Affairs rejected the proposal and issued an unfavorable report.

According to today’s report, the government believes Panama should continue implementing the strategy established by the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, rejecting the use of reduced-risk products to help smokers quit.

The report also justified the decision by stating that it follows the legislation of countries such as Mexico and Argentina.

Michael Landl, director of the World Vapers’ Alliance, said the Panamanian government continues to ignore consumers and science. Tobacco harm reduction should be an indispensable part of the fight against smoking.

“Science has already shown that vaping is far less harmful than smoking and is one of the most effective smoking cessation tools,” Landl said in an email. “The thousands of e-cigarette users in Panama are proof of that. Panama should follow the example of countries like the UK or Sweden, which have successfully reduced smoking and are on track to become the world’s first smoke-free country, rather than copying the failed approaches of Argentina and Mexico.”

The rejected proposal also aimed to ensure that consumers could access a legal market free of contraband.

According to Tomás Sánchez, president of the Panamanian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association, the black market is currently becoming increasingly prominent, with smuggling estimated to account for 80% of the combustible cigarette trade and 100% of the smoke-free device trade.

“Since last year’s ban, thousands of consumers of lower-risk products have been forced either to start smoking again or to buy their products illegally on the black market, where there are no guarantees of quality or safety,” Sánchez wrote in an email. “This ban has been a failure for public health, and the Panamanian government needs to correct its position as soon as possible and give smokers access to alternatives. Their response shows that they do not understand tobacco harm reduction and are unwilling to listen to consumers, who are the main victims of the ban.”