WVA Urges Brazil to End Vape Ban After Argentina’s Historic Regulation
The World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA) is urging Brazilian authorities to legalize and regulate e-cigarettes, directly responding to Argentina’s landmark decision to end its 15-year vaping ban. This regional shift highlights the growing pressure on Brazil to replace its prohibitionist policies with science-based harm reduction strategies.
On May 4, Argentina’s Ministry of Health published Resolution 549/2026, officially establishing a regulatory framework for vapes, heated tobacco, and nicotine pouches. The new rules mandate product registration, strict quality standards, and traceability, marking a major turning point for public health policy in Latin America.
The WVA, whose “Vapeo Responsable” campaign gathered over 10,000 signatures to push for the Argentine regulation, is now pointing across the border to Brazil’s contrasting approach.
Since 2009, Brazil’s health agency, ANVISA, has maintained a strict ban on the sale of vapes. However, the WVA argues this policy has only allowed an unchecked illegal market to flourish without consumer protections. Meanwhile, traditional smoking continues to claim over 160,000 lives annually in Brazil, according to the National Cancer Institute (INCA).
International data strongly supports regulation over prohibition. Countries that have embraced harm reduction have seen consistent drops in smoking rates:
- United Kingdom:Â Actively promotes vaping as a highly effective smoking cessation tool.
- Sweden:Â On track to become officially “smoke-free” through the widespread use of alternative nicotine products.
- New Zealand:Â Has recorded significant declines in traditional smoking after adopting evidence-based harm reduction policies.
“The current prohibition is failing both smokers and public health,” stated Amanda Victória de Matos, WVA Social Media Manager. “Brazil should follow successful harm reduction models and give smokers access to regulated, less harmful products. Argentina has already started to pave the way, and Brazil needs to follow the same path.”
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