Market & legal data in the tobacco alternatives sector in Central America

18th February 2025: Panama: The Ministry of Health (Minsa) has regulated the sale, use, and advertising of vaping products, heated tobacco products, and nicotine pouches through resolution 146 of 31st January 2025, published on 13th February 2025. The resolution bans sales to minors, any form of promotion, and the use of these products in public and private offices, transportation, and enclosed public spaces such as restaurants, bars, hotels, and workplaces, as well as in sports areas, residential buildings, and educational and health institutions. The resolution will enter into force in six months, on 31st July 2025.
4th November 2024: Panama: A spokesperson for Panamá Emprende – a part of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry that deals with commercial and industrial activity – told TobaccoIntelligence that the sale of heated tobacco products (HTPs) falls under the “tobacco category” of the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC). However, the spokesperson did not clarify if tobacco legislation would apply, and TobaccoIntelligence is seeking further clarification. This follows a Supreme Court decision declaring law 315 – which prohibited the use, import, and sale of heated tobacco – unconstitutional.
11th October 2024: Costa Rica: Following the announcement of changes in the vaping and heated tobacco regulation yesterday (10th October), the government has introduced an amendment to law 10066. The amendment would add further labelling requirements, such as usage of terms in Spanish, English or another language that promote heated tobacco products (HTPs) in a false or misleading manner. It would also expand advertising requirements, such as the use of influencers. The bill will now be analysed by the National Assembly.
10th October 2024: Costa Rica: A regulation to law 10066 on e-cigarettes with and without nicotine and heated tobacco was signed by the president and the Ministry of Health. The regulation closes loopholes in the law, including those concerning labelling and advertising. The latest version of the regulation is not available. In addition, the Ministry of Health is working on a draft law aimed at reducing the use of these products and exposure to the aerosol they produce.
4th October 2024: Americas: The Directing Council of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) – the specialised international health agency for the region of the Americas within the World Health Organization (WHO) – has adopted a new strategy to strengthen tobacco control in the region, setting out different objectives for 2030. The strategy aims to increase the number of countries in the region adopting tobacco control measures. Measures could include establishing regulatory measures for novel tobacco and nicotine products, adopting smoke-free measures, enacting legislation to introduce large health warnings (covering at least 50% of the main surfaces of packaging) for tobacco products, introducing plain packaging for tobacco products or adopting a complete advertising ban.
12th August 2024: Costa Rica: The Ministry of Health has published the regulations to law 10.066, which regulates the use of heated tobacco. The regulations expand the places where the use of heated tobacco is prohibited, establish that sales must be carried out exclusively on the shelves located at the cash registers in commercial establishments that do not sell tobacco products as their main products, and add a definition of “complementary goods” for tax purposes. These requirements came into force with the publication of the regulations in the Official Gazette on 9th August.
17th July 2024: Guatemala: On Monday, 15th July, president Bernardo Arévalo appointed Joaquín Barnoya Pérez as the new minister of health. With Arévalo’s academic background in tobacco control, his appointment may influence future policies and enforcement in the country for tobacco alternatives, press reports.
16th July 2024: El Salvador: In August, the entity in charge of supervising and regulating tobacco and nicotine products, the National Directorate of Medicines (DNM), will become the new Health Regulatory Superintendency (SRS). This change will involve taking on some responsibilities from the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG). The SRS will continue regulating tobacco, and nicotine and non-nicotine delivery devices.
19th June 2024: Costa Rica: The Constitutional Chamber has ordered the Ministry of Health to issue the regulations of law 10.066 – which regulated the use of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco – within two months, press reports. The Ministry of Health justified the delay in issuing the regulations by the need of a public consultation and the government transition. The regulations are allegedly ready, and now need to go through a final review and then be signed by the president.
29th May 2024: Americas: The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is preparing actions in aid of World No Tobacco Day 2024, which will take place this Friday (31st May). In addition to encouraging its member states to implement legislation to fight tobacco and nicotine product consumption, the PAHO is also organising a seminar – to be held on 3rd June – on “experiences and innovative strategies to protect children and youth from tobacco marketing”. In a video, PAHO director Jarbas Barbosa said that there is still a long road in the fight against these products on the continent, but he celebrated the legal amendments that have taken place recently in Colombia and Brazil.
15th May 2024: Panama: The Supreme Court has declared law 315 – which prohibits the use, importation and sale of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco – unconstitutional. The Association for the Reduction of the Harm of Smoking (the plaintiff) based its case on a formal issue, claiming that the legislative approval process did not comply with constitutional provisions.
15th May 2024: Costa Rica: The Ministry of Health has presented the regulations of law 10.066, which establishes a legal framework for the use and sale of vaping and heated tobacco products. Products containing synthetic nicotine will be banned. The authority said it is working on technical regulations that will be subject to national and international public consultation, as well as a bill to correct legal deficiencies in law 10.066.

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