| Section | Link to Section |
|---|---|
| President Maduro | The WHO Applauds President Maduro, An Autocrat. |
| Cigarettes | There Are Still Cigarettes Accessible. |
E-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, including personal use by persons, are prohibited by Venezuelan official policy. The resolution from the health ministry on August 1st made the decision and stated that health concerns were the basis for the action.
The resolution forbids the "manufacture, storage, distribution, circulation, commercialization, import, export, use, consumption, advertising, promotion, and sponsorship" of any vaping product, including those without nicotine. It was published in the nation's official gazette.
The WHO Applauds President Maduro, An Autocrat.
Less than two months had passed since Nicolás Maduro, the president of Venezuela, had directed the health ministry to consider outlawing vapes. "In a speech in June, Maduro stated that he would advise our medical and scientific teams to investigate the possibility of banning the sale, within national territory, of these devices that are harmful to health, that cause illnesses in the lungs and bronchial tubes, and that create serious problems."
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), a regional branch of the World Health Organization (WHO), which opposes vaping, launched a campaign in Venezuela at the same time as the president's directive. The decision, according to a statement released by PAHO on Friday, "becomes one of the most important achievements of Venezuelan public health in recent years and places the country in the vanguard squad in the fight against tobacco and its derivatives in the region." The organization praised the authoritarian Maduro government for making the decision.
According to a press release from the health ministry, "research and clinical trials conducted nationwide by physicians and scientists have concluded that [e-cigarettes] contain completely toxic substances that cause addiction." and are detrimental to health, raising the chance of respiratory problems, heart disease, and other diseases. Hot tobacco products "contain other toxic substances that are found at higher levels than in the smoke originated by burning tobacco," according to the health ministry.
There Are Still Cigarettes Accessible.
Despite the fact that cigarettes are the known cause of every health problem listed by the health ministry, the government has not banned them. Based on data from the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction, 14% of adult Venezuelans smoke every day, and smoking causes over 17,000 deaths there annually.
Several Latin American nations, like as Brazil and Mexico, have outlawed vaping items. Based on alleged health concerns, these vape bans are frequently enacted as presidential proclamations or regulations by the health department.
The majority of nations that have outlawed vaping products have patchy or nonexistent enforcement, and thriving underground markets grow swiftly. Legal vape stores are temporarily closing their doors in Venezuela.
"Unfortunately, more than 5,000 employees at shops are unemployed right now," Luis Eduardo Lemus, manager of a Caracas vape shop, told AP. We are afraid that if you do anything connected to this, the local police would take everything from you, abuse you, or throw you in jail. The store is closed until further notice, but we still don't know what will happen.
