Latin America: The Overlooked Nicotine Market
Brazil has reduced smoking through aggressive tobacco control—but e-cigarettes are banned. The result: a large illicit vaping market. Latin America's nicotine policies are diverse, understudied, and shaped by the same tensions as the rest of the world.
Brazil banned e-cigarettes in 2009—and has an estimated 2 million vapers using illicit products. Mexico has oscillated between restriction and tolerance. Argentina has a significant tobacco farming sector that shapes policy. **Latin America's nicotine policies are diverse, understudied, and shaped by the same tensions—public health vs. individual autonomy, abstinence vs. harm reduction, regulation vs. prohibition—that characterize the global debate. The region is a natural experiment that the global community is largely ignoring.**
