Vaping Continues to Thrive Despite Ban as Brazil Government Prepares to Debate Legality

Brazil’s National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) will hold a public meeting next Friday (December 1) to discuss the future of e-cigarettes in the country.

According to a report by Brazilian media outlet Odia on November 23, Brazil’s National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) will hold a public meeting next Friday (December 1) to discuss the future of e-cigarettes in the country. 

E-cigarettes have been banned in Brazil since 2009 under an Anvisa ordinance. However, the regulator’s resolution is currently under review. 

In Brazil, the ban has never stopped e-cigarette use. On the contrary, the number of consumers has continued to grow. According to a 2022 survey conducted by Ipec, Brazil has around 2.2 million regular e-cigarette users, all of whom are currently in an illegal market where the sources of raw materials and the associated risks cannot be clearly determined. 

Alexandro Lucian, president of the Information Council for Harm Reduction from Smoking (Direta), said that only regulation can guarantee consumer safety. 

A study commissioned by the UK government and published in 2022 by King’s College London reviewed more than 400 scientific papers and found that e-cigarettes are 95% less harmful than conventional cigarettes. In Brazil, research related to e-cigarettes is prohibited. 

On the day of Anvisa’s meeting, consumers are planning a demonstration aimed at pressuring the authorities to implement proper and safe e-cigarette regulation. 

“The presence of consumers in this democratic dialogue environment is extremely important,” Lucian said.