Brazil's Senate postpones vote on e-cigarette bill to amend provisions prohibiting sales to teenagers

Brazil's Senate postpones vote on e-cigarette bill to amend provisions prohibiting sales to teenagers

The discussion of the Brazilian e-cigarette bill was postponed for another 30 days, and the bill was deadlocked. The Senate will reconsider and focus on the ban on the sale of e-cigarettes under the age of 18 and the fines for violations.

According to SBT News on June 11, the Brazilian Senate Economic Affairs Committee (Comissão de Assuntos Econômicos, CAE) postponed the discussion of the bill (PL) on the production, sale, inspection and advertising of e-cigarettes for 30 days on Tuesday (11th). The discussion was originally scheduled for today (11th). Senator Damares Alves from the Brazilian Republican Party's request for an extension was approved by the committee.

Before the vote on the bill, the rapporteur of the bill, Eduardo Gomes, said he had to perfect the vote because Senator Mecias de Jesus had proposed two amendments to the bill. However, Gomez opposed both amendments and maintained his defense in favor of Soraya Thronicke and accepted only one amendment.

The rapporteur amended Article 24 of the bill, which clarifies that manufacturers, importers, traders or any person should not provide or sell electronic cigarettes to individuals under the age of 18, nor should they directly or indirectly provide or offer products to others with the intention of providing products to persons under the age of 18, whether free or paid. Anyone who violates the above provisions will face a fine of not less than 20,000 reais (US$3,727) and not more than 10 million reais (US$1.86 million). In addition to the fine, intentional violators of the rules will constitute a crime under Article 243 of the Children and Adolescents Act, and the prescribed penalties (2 to 4 years of detention and fines, if the facts do not constitute a more serious crime) shall be doubled.

Another amendment by Messias is to tax electronic cigarettes, which Soraya, the initiator of the proposal, expressed concern about.

"Equal taxation of these products may encourage illegal markets and undermine public health and tobacco control policies."