Alternative tobacco and nicotine products in South America
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Industry news, specifically focusing on business-related stories
Regulatory reports
Detailed legal reports outlining industry regulation, analysis of the laws, and pertinent organisations
Market data
All of our heated tobacco and related products databases downloadable in Excel format
Regulatory data
Our full regulatory tracking databases including tax, proposed bills, etc.
NEW FORMAT
From February of 2022, subscribers will be able to view and filter individual regulatory alerts per region. If you want to get our monthly compilations, visit our alerts Round-up section.
Alerts
Our legal experts track the evolving regulation around the tobacco alternatives sector on a daily basis. These alerts are then compiled into our Monthly Round-up section.
13th September 2022
Uruguay: The Health Ministry has published a list of criteria for the approval of tobacco products, including heated tobacco. They include a ban on the use on packaging of messages that suggest products are less risky to health, including naming ingredients or including words such as “light” or “mild”.
5th September 2022
Uruguay: Miguel Asqueta, director general of the Ministry of Health, has said that Decree 87/2021, which authorised the sale of heated tobacco products, did not originate from the ministry, which did not support it, press reports. He added that no company had applied for a permit to import or market heated tobacco. His comments followed criticism of the decree by representative Sandra Etcheverry of the government centre-right National Party.
26th August 2022
- Colombia: The representative from the Colombian Liberal Party, Julián Peinado, has introduced in the Chamber of Representatives a bill that would regulate heated tobacco products. If approved, the bill will explicitly ban the sale of heated tobacco products to minors and will subject them to packaging and labelling restrictions, including the duty to carry a health warning. The bill also proposes banning the sponsoring of sports and cultural events. The Colombian Liberal Party currently holds 32 seats out of 188 in the Chamber of Representatives, which makes it the party with the highest number of seats.
26th August 2022
- Chile: On 30th August, the Health Committee of the Chamber of Deputies is set to discuss Bill 12632-11. The bill, approved by the Senate in March 2021, would initially have regulated heated tobacco and vaping products as other traditional products. However, in March 2022 the Health Committee of the Chamber of Deputies approved the removal of references to vaping products, so the bill exclusively addresses heated tobacco products.
17th August 2022
Americas: The Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), which serves as regional office for the World Health Organization (WHO), has published a 148-page Report on Tobacco Control for the Region of the Americas 2022. The report considers the increasing availability of heated tobacco products as a challenge that impedes the progress of tobacco control. It says: “Terms such as reduced harm or reduced risk tend to confuse people and provide a false sense of security in circumstances where there is no scientific evidence to demonstrate that the consumption of so-called reduced-harm products is safe for health.” And it adds: “The main objective of the marketing strategies for these products is ultimately to attract new users while being able to satiate current tobacco users who wish to quit.”
11th August 2022
Colombia: Julián Peinado of the Colombian Liberal Party will next week introduce in the Chamber of Representatives a bill regulating heated tobacco products, press reports. If approved, the bill will explicitly ban sales to minors and introduce packaging and labelling restrictions, including a mandatory health warning, and ban sponsorship of sporting and cultural events. As the bill has not yet been published, it is unknown whether it would also cover nicotine pouches. The Liberal Party is currently the largest party in the Chamber of Representatives, with 32 seats out of 188.
2nd August 2022
Colombia: The incoming government is planning to impose a specific excise duty on heated tobacco. President-elect Gustavo Petro and the National Federation of Departments (FND) have signed a document defining the working agenda for the next months, in which duty on heated tobacco is labelled as a priority. No details of the rate or model to be imposed have been disclosed. Currently, heated tobacco is taxed as combustible cigarettes, at a rate of COP2,563 ($0.60) per packet.
22nd July 2022
- Paraguay: On 18th July 2022 president Mario Abdo approved Paraguay’s ratification of the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products, an international treaty adopted in 2012 by parties to the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) with the objective of eliminating all forms of illicit trade in tobacco products. The country’s accession to the protocol might pave the way for the future enactment of new requirements applicable to tobacco products.
8th July 2022
- Paraguay: On 6th July the Chamber of Deputies approved the country’s ratification of the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products, an international treaty adopted in 2012 by parties to the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The ratification was approved by the Senate on 23rd May 2022, as we previously reported on, and it now awaits the president’s approval or veto.
7th July 2022
Brazil: The board of the National Public Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) decided unanimously at an extraordinary meeting yesterday, 6th July, to maintain the existing ban on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco. The agency will now prepare a regulatory draft that will be sent to the body’s governing body, the college, for deliberation. The college will later decide whether or not to open the draft for a public consultation.
6th July 2022
- Brazil: The National Public Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) was to discuss the regulation of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco in an extraordinary meeting today, 6th July. The public meeting was called to consider information and comments received during a public consultation, which closed on 10th June. In its preliminary report, published in April, the agency suggested that the existing ban should be maintained. No final decision is expected yet.
