The Coalition for the Reduction of Harms from Smoking strongly rejects the decision of the National Directorate for the Promotion of Citizen Participation of the National Assembly, to consider the bill that establishes a legal framework for the use, commercialization, advertising “non-viable” , content, quality and safety of the Electronic Nicotine Administration Systems (SEAN) and demands to reconsider this decision, accept the initiative and discuss it on scientific grounds.
Tomas Sánchez, president of the Association for the Reduction of Harm from Smoking of Panama and member of the Coalition for the Reduction of Harm from Smoking, stated that the National Assembly, by rejecting the proposal, without further support, continues to take away the opportunity for smokers current adults to have a smokeless alternative, with less risk to their health and by maintaining prohibition, the State continues to exacerbate the smuggling of electronic nicotine delivery systems.
“We ask that the rejection of our legislative proposal be reconsidered and that it be given the procedure established in the legal provisions of the legal framework that regulates citizen participation,” remarked the president of the Association for the Reduction of Damage from Smoking of Panama after add that the flat rejection issued by the Assembly not only infringes Law 6 of 2002, the Organic Regulation of the National Assembly and the Resolution that creates the National Directorate for the Promotion of Citizen Participation.
Sánchez said that it is unfortunate that the National Assembly continues to refuse to legislate on an issue that has become a problem with great impact because despite the fact that the commercialization of electronic cigarettes and their consumables is prohibited in Panama, it is not a secret to anyone. , including the authorities, that these products are acquired abroad where their sale is not prohibited, or else they are acquired irregularly in the local market, without sanitary registration.
In fact, the regulation proposed by the Smoking Harm Reduction Coalition would cover electronic cigarettes and vaporizers, tobacco heating devices, heated tobacco products (PTC) and similar non-nicotine systems (SSSN) in the Republic of Panama .
Supply and demand promote illicit trade
In this sense, Gabriel Menasche of the Association of Medicinal Cannabis of Panama (ACAPAN), maintained that, despite the existence of a prohibition, the current demand and supply promote the illicit trade of these products and, therefore, money laundering. , tax evasion and other criminal activities that put national and regional security at risk.
Menasche added that the figures do not lie and this is demonstrated by the latest Illegal Cigarette Market Study carried out in Panama in 2022 by Nielsen (Global leader in audience knowledge, data and analytics), which reflects that 92.1% of the cigarettes consumed in Panama they come from illegal trade, which reflects an increase of 12.2 percentage points between 2019 and 2022.
Faced with this reality, the President of the Association of Smokers and Families for a Smoke-Free Panama, Hitler Cigarruista, stressed that it is necessary to regulate an alternative to continue dissuading people from starting to smoke, promote the cessation of those who currently smoke and provide smoke-free alternatives to those who don’t quit, which can be up to 95% less harmful than smoking.
Cigarruista mentioned that it is important to establish the conditions for marketing, in order to guarantee that clear and truthful information is provided to the consumer who decides to use them as a potentially reduced risk option and prevents these products from being purchased by minors.
He insisted that the current legislation leaves consumers or users of this type of product unprotected, because the governing entity of Health does not exercise any type of supervision in relation to the content, quality or safety of the equipment, components, consumables or vaping liquids. that are consumed in the country.
The members of the Coalition for the Reduction of Harms due to Smoking stated that it is ironic that while fuel cigarettes constitute the worst form of administration of nicotine, since they generate smoke as a result of combustion, the deputies refuse to discuss the proposed Law presented which has as its main objective to give current adult smokers a smokeless and lower risk alternative.
