Top Takeaways:

• Mexico’s Senate approved a nationwide ban on producing, importing, selling, and advertising e-cigarettes.
• The law imposes up to eight years in prison for commercial suppliers while exempting consumers.
• Supporters portrayed the ban as a youth protection measure, while opponents warned it could boost illegal markets.

Mexico’s Senate has passed a reform to the General Health Law that bans the production, importation, sale, and advertising of electronic cigarettes and vaping devices nationwide, according to media reports and official Senate records.

The bill passed with 76 votes in favor, 37 against, and one abstention, completing the legislative process after approval by the House earlier this month. The reform introduces criminal penalties of up to eight years in prison for individuals or companies involved in the commercial manufacture or sale of vaping products, while explicitly exempting personal use and possession from punishment.

Proposed by President Claudia Sheinbaum, the reform seeks to strengthen public health protections and slow the rapid growth of an unregulated vape market. Supporters of the measure argued that vaping products endanger young people by containing nicotine, heavy metals, and carcinogens, as well as the rising popularity of flavored products among minors.

The law bans the manufacture, import, export, distribution, and sale of e-cigarettes, vapes, and related devices, including systems designed to heat or vaporize liquids, gels, or similar substances, with or without nicotine. It also enforces a complete ban on advertising across print, broadcast, and digital media.

A late-stage clarification clarified that language exempts consumers from criminal liability. Sanctions apply only to activities conducted with commercial intent, aiming to target supply-chain actors rather than individual users.

Opposition lawmakers warned that the prohibition could boost illicit markets and organized crime. Senator Gina Campuzano of the National Action Party (PAN) called the reform “a cynical smokescreen,” while Senator Carolina Viggiano of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) stated that “the state must regulate, not prohibit,” warning that demand would continue despite the ban.

The reform officially defines e-cigarettes and vaping devices under Mexican law as products that heat or vaporize liquid or gel substances for inhalation, closing regulatory gaps that previously allowed these products to operate outside the country’s tobacco control system.

The law becomes effective upon publication in the Diario Oficial de la Federación.