World No Tobacco Day Highlights Mexico’s Vaping Dilemma

World No Tobacco Day, held on May 31 since 1988, raises awareness of tobacco’s dangers and industry tactics. Tobacco causes millions of preventable deaths yearly from cancer, heart disease, and more. Yet, experts criticize WHO for not endorsing harm reduction tools like vaping, despite evidence they help smokers quit.

WHO estimates that 37 million children aged 13-15 use tobacco worldwide. In many countries, youth e-cigarette use now exceeds that of adults. Meanwhile, marketing for e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches, and heated tobacco products has reached over 3.4 billion views on social media, increasing their appeal to young audiences.

WHO notes that their diverse flavors are the leading reason young people start using nicotine and tobacco products. Sweet, fruity, and minty options strongly drive their appeal and continued use. In its current campaign, WHO states: “This candy coating masks the dangers of tobacco and nicotine, making it easier to start and harder to quit.”

The traditional anti-tobacco stance emphasizes the well-documented harms of smoking. “Unlike vaping, which is relatively new, there are years of research to back up claims that smoking is damaging to health,” highlights Medical News Today.  According to the CDC, tobacco smoke contains thousands of chemicals, including about 70 known carcinogens. Smoking damages nearly every organ in the body, causes about 63,000 deaths annually in Mexico, and continues to be the leading cause of preventable death worldwide. 

In recent years, electronic nicotine delivery systems — commonly called e-cigarettes or vaping devices — have emerged as alternatives to traditional cigarettes. These battery-operated devices produce a vapor aerosol inhaled by users, often flavored to appeal to young people.

Proponents argue that vaping and other nicotine delivery products, such as nicotine pouches, can serve as harm reduction tools, potentially helping smokers quit combustible tobacco. Some studies suggest daily e-cigarette use may increase smoking cessation rates compared to other nicotine replacement therapies. 

However, WHO warns that vaping is not without risks. E-cigarette aerosol contains nicotine, as well as potentially toxic chemicals such as diacetyl, heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, and carcinogens. Vaping has been linked to cases of severe lung injury (EVALI), and its long-term health effects remain uncertain. 

Critics of WHO’s tobacco control policies argue that an outright prohibitionist stance against vaping and other reduced-risk products fails to acknowledge their potential role in harm reduction. Experts from Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom have criticized the WHO for ignoring evidence supporting safer alternatives, which they claim leads to more smoking-related deaths and fuels illicit markets. They call for innovation-friendly policies that integrate harm reduction as part of a comprehensive tobacco control strategy, emphasizing listening to consumers and embracing new tools to end the smoking epidemic

The Legal and Health Challenges of Vaping in Mexico

Vaping devices have faced evolving and often contradictory policies in Mexico. Since 2008, COFEPRIS has classified e-cigarettes as dangerous, prohibiting their commercialization while allowing their consumption. In 2020, then President López Obrador banned the import and export of vapes, and by 2022, a full prohibition on their commercialization was enacted, earning recognition from WHO.

Despite this, judicial loopholes — primarily through the use of amparos — have enabled companies to continue importing and selling vapes, creating a legal gray area and undermining regulatory intent. Enforcement has been weak, with product seizures dropping from over 38,000 units in 2019 to fewer than 10,000 in 2021. Vapes remain widely accessible through informal markets, websites, and physical stores, including candy shops. 

Public health authorities such as INER and CONADIC warn that vapes are not effective smoking cessation tools and pose serious health risks, citing findings of harmful and unregulated substances in vape liquids. Additionally, environmental policy has lagged: no official systems exist for the disposal or recycling of vape batteries, leading to improper handling of hazardous waste.