Mexico's E-cigarette Ban Causes Online Sales To Surge 15% To 20%; Christmas Special E-cigarette Sales At Stalls Spark Controversy

Mexico's e-cigarette ban causes online sales to surge 15% to 20%; Christmas special e-cigarette sales at stalls spark controversy

Mexico's health department said the ban on e-cigarette sales led to a 15% to 20% surge in online sales, and mobile stalls approved by the authorities were also found to be selling e-cigarettes during the Christmas season, which was accused of violating federal law.

According to Net Noticias on December 23, Luis Carlos Tarín Villamar, a commissioner of Mexico's National Health Risk Protection Commission (Coespris), reported that sales of these products on social media increased by about 15% to 20% since the introduction of the law banning the sale of e-cigarettes.

The commissioner pointed out that after the new law was amended, sales through social media increased significantly, with an estimated increase of between 15% and 20%. However, as to which department will be responsible for law enforcement, since this is a federal matter, the Federal General Prosecutor's Office (FGR) should be involved, but it is not clear whether they will be asked to help strengthen the crackdown.

In addition, Net Noticias reported that e-cigarettes are not only sold online, but also on mobile stalls. The media found the sale of e-cigarettes at mobile stalls around the cathedral, which were specially approved by the authorities for Christmas celebrations.

The MP said that this behavior is a federal-level violation and the authorities should pay attention to the sales activities at these stalls because they are the ones who issued the operating licenses for mobile stalls.

Due to the lack of operational guidelines, Coespris said it would continue to crack down on the sale of e-cigarettes to minors through vending machines in accordance with the original cooperation agreement.