Argentina Debates Stricter Vape Laws Amid Prohibition Failures

Vaping Regulations in Argentina

A new bill has been introduced in the Argentine Senate aiming to further restrict the use of vaping products, with a primary focus on preventing underage access. The proposal seeks to explicitly ban the sale and free distribution of these products to minors, establish penalties including fines and closures for non-compliance, and implement a total prohibition on their display, advertising, promotion, and sponsorship.

This legislative push comes despite Argentina already having a long-standing administrative ban on the sale, import, advertising, and distribution of vaping products, issued by the national regulatory body ANMAT in 2011. However, advocates for harm reduction argue this existing prohibition has been a failure, leading to a thriving, uncontrolled informal market where millions of Argentinians purchase these products without any safety checks or age verification.

The consumer campaign “Vapeo Responsable” (Responsible Vaping), supported by the international World Vapers’ Alliance, acknowledges the legitimate concern behind the new bill but criticizes it for doubling down on a prohibitionist model. “The sale and advertising of vaping products has been banned for over a decade, which has fueled the growth of the informal market and facilitated access for minors. The solution is to regulate the product, control its sale, and put an end to the black market,” commented campaign spokesperson Alberto Gómez Hernández.

While the organization supports banning sales to minors and penalizing those who violate this rule, they argue that without a legal, regulated market, there is no effective way to enforce such controls. “As long as there is no regulated and legal market, the informal market will continue to grow. And as long as that happens, minors will continue to have barrier-free access, and the State will have no real tools to prevent it,” warned Gómez Hernández.

A key point of contention is the proposed total ban on advertising. Advocates for vaping as a harm reduction tool argue this prevents adult smokers from learning about a potentially less harmful alternative. “Prohibiting advertising completely prevents people from accessing key information. Vaping is at least 95% less harmful than smoking and is the most effective tool for quitting cigarettes. That difference needs to be communicated, not hidden,” Gómez Hernández stated.

Instead of further prohibitions, Vapeo Responsable proposes a clear regulatory model: permit the sale of vaping products to adults exclusively in specialized, licensed stores with mandatory age verification and strict controls. They argue this would ensure only adults can access the products, provide consumers with quality-controlled items, and allow for proper information on responsible use. To advance this cause, the campaign has launched a citizen petition directed at the national government, calling for an end to the current prohibition and the adoption of intelligent regulation based on scientific evidence and harm reduction principles.

Matthew Ma
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