Panama’s Supreme Court has agreed to hear a lawsuit that claims the country’s 2022 ban on heated tobacco and electronic cigarettes is unconstitutional – a move seen as a positive first step by tobacco harm reduction groups in the Central American nation.
In early August, the Panamanian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association (ARDTP) presented a lawsuit to the Supreme Court arguing that Law 315, which bans the use, sale and import of heated tobacco and e-cigarettes in the country, is unconstitutional and should be repealed.