Panama Seeks Unified Regulation on E-Cigarettes and Heated Tobacco Products, Including Use Restrictions in Public and Private Spaces

Key Takeaways

• Panamanian authorities are seeking to establish unified regulation for e-cigarettes, vaporizers and heated tobacco products.
• Lawmakers in the National Assembly’s Work, Health and Social Development Subcommittee are moving to create a technical working table to unify three related bills.
• Bill 263 would prohibit the use, importation and commercialisation of electronic nicotine delivery systems, e-cigarettes, vaporizers, heated tobacco products and similar devices, with or without nicotine.
• Bill 347 would amend Law 13 of January 24, 2008 to include a ban on the use of electronic nicotine delivery devices in public and private spaces.
• Bill 467 addresses the use, commercialisation, advertising, quality and safety of electronic nicotine delivery systems, oral pouches, heated inhalation products, vaping liquids and similar nicotine-free systems.

2Firsts,March 11,2026

According to Infobae, Panamanian authorities are seeking to establish a single regulation aimed at prohibiting the use of e-cigarettes, vaporizers and heated tobacco products in public and private spaces, as well as the advertising and promotion of their use and commercialisation.

To that end, lawmakers in the Work, Health and Social Development Subcommittee of the National Assembly are moving to establish a technical working table to discuss, refine and unify three bills seeking to regulate these products.

One of the bills under discussion is Bill 263, which prohibits the use, importation and commercialisation of electronic nicotine delivery systems, e-cigarettes, vaporizers, heated tobacco products and other similar devices, with or without nicotine.

At the same time, Bill 347 is also under consideration. It would amend Law 13 of January 24, 2008, to include a ban on the use of electronic nicotine delivery devices in public and private spaces.

Bill 467 is in the same situation. It concerns the use, commercialisation, advertising, quality and safety of electronic nicotine delivery systems, oral consumption pouches, heated products for inhalation, vaping liquids and similar nicotine-free systems, and would amend articles of Law 45 of 1995 and establish other provisions.

Representative Crispiano Adames, sponsor of Bill 263, said there is currently a major opportunity to condense the three legislative initiatives in order to produce firm, safe and solid regulation that would defend future generations against the use of tobacco and devices such as e-cigarettes, which he said cause notable harm to human health.

According to a press release from the National Assembly, Crispiano Adames said the opportunity should be used to move toward concrete, firm and decisive regulation, not only with reference to minors, but also to prohibition in public spaces, private spaces, advertising and promotion, and also to the solidarity benefits that should be generated through a law that should move toward collecting specific taxes on vaporizers, which are not currently taxed under the country’s fiscal law.

Previously, the country had Law 315, which prohibited the use and commercialisation of these products, but it was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of Justice after a lawsuit filed by the Association for Tobacco Harm Reduction of Panama, supported by the Association of Smokers and Families for a Smoke-Free Panama. These groups argued for the right to have alternatives to traditional tobacco, among other points.

Later, in 2025, the Ministry of Health established a framework to regulate, rather than prohibit, the commercialisation, use and importation of e-cigarettes, with emphasis on the protection of minors.

The National Customs Authority said that one of its main concerns is the issue of electronic devices or e-cigarettes.

Yoanny Prestán, head of Legal Advisory at that government entity, said that in the area of cigarette smuggling there were still tasks to be completed, such as traceability. She said the authority was not attacking trade, but wanted it to be carried out in the best possible way while safeguarding the health of the Panamanian people. As enforcers of rules that respect the right to health, the country’s youth must be protected.

As a party to several international treaties, the country is obligated and called upon to establish regulatory policies on this type of product.

To address tobacco use, the Ministry of Health maintains 52 tobacco cessation clinics offering free care to those who show a need to quit smoking.

These facilities have a mental health team made up of doctors, social workers, psychologists, nurses and psychiatrists, all properly trained to care for patients.

Last May, the institution launched the second Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2025, with the aim of understanding the reality of tobacco consumption among the population aged 15 and over in Panama, though the results are still unknown.

Image source: Infobae