Overview
- Lawmakers on the Health Committee approved the measure 27–8, with one abstention, to outlaw electronic cigarettes and vape devices nationwide.
- The draft sets penalties of one to eight years in prison and fines up to 226,280 pesos for conduct tied to the production, sale, or supply of vape products.
- The proposal also bans advertising and wide-ranging commercial activities involving vape devices and defines them as systems that heat or vaporize toxic substances.
- As part of a broader reform, the bill tightens controls on toxic substances, chemical precursors, synthetic drugs, and illicit fentanyl use.
- The session featured a procedural clash in which reservations were routed to the chamber’s leadership for the plenary stage, prompting opposition protests over process, budget risks to the Health Fund, and concerns about black-market growth and user criminalization.