Argentina Tucumán Province to Ban Vape in Public Spaces
Health Commission in Tucumán, Argentina, approves legal reform to ban vaping in enclosed public spaces, citing significant health risks and rising youth usage.
The Public Health Commission of the provincial Legislature in Tucumán, Argentina, has approved modifications to Law No. 7575, significantly expanding smoking prohibitions to include electronic cigarettes (vapes) in enclosed public areas. Health specialists highlighted the detrimental effects of vaping and its increasing consumption among adolescents during the commission’s deliberations.
Legislator Gabriel Yedlin, president of the Public Health Commission, announced that the approved changes mean vaping will be prohibited in all places where traditional cigarette smoking is already banned. This includes closed spaces, public areas, schools, hospitals, museums, and workplaces. “There is evidence that it is very harmful, very detrimental, very addictive, like tobacco, perhaps more so; it is highly carcinogenic,” Yedlin stated, emphasizing the serious health risks associated with e-cigarettes.
While acknowledging individuals’ freedom to vape in private, Yedlin warned that even in open spaces or at home, vaping poses dangers, leading to cancer, cardiovascular problems, and severe disabilities for both users and those exposed to secondhand vapor. Dr. Ariela Tarcic, a representative from the Provincial Health System’s Anti-Tobacco Program (SIPROSA), further supported the ban, explaining that vapor particles from e-cigarettes are smaller than tobacco smoke particles, allowing them to penetrate more deeply into the body and cause greater harm.
Legislators expressed particular concern over the early age at which teenagers are beginning to vape, often driven by fashion trends. Yedlin cited surveys showing adolescents starting as young as 12 or 13, warning that vaping can act as a gateway to other addictive substances, similar to traditional tobacco. The approved bill will now move forward for further consideration in the Legislature.
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