Philip Morris International obtains Mexico's first electronic cigarette sales protection order

Judges granted a legal protection (amparo) to Philip Morris, the tobacco company, for the commercialization of vaporizers and electronic cigarettes in Mexico. It was the Twenty-Second Collegiate Administrative Court in Mexico City that issued the document declaring the decree launched on May 31, 2022, by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador as unconstitutional, which condemned the sale and distribution of vaporizers and electronic cigarettes.

Philip Morris "defeats" the Mexican government in the marketing of electronic cigarettes. Furthermore, this federal judicial protection is definitive, without the effects of the presidential decree and without the possibility of appeal by the Federal Government.

In response, during a morning press conference, López Obrador criticized the magistrate's decision in favor of Philip Morris. The president stated, "What about health?" and further added that economic interests are involved in the decision "at the expense of the health of the people and the youth."

The executive leader assured that they would challenge the resolution and emphasized the government campaign launched in collaboration with the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris).

In addition to the prohibition decree issued last May, months ago, AMLO and Cofepris presented a study revealing that vaporizers contain 30 unreported substances that are potentially harmful to human health.

"Most mothers and fathers are unaware of the damage they cause. It is a matter of information, it gives a certain prestige, and it is thought that they are not harmful to health," shared Andrés Manuel with the media.