Brazil's ANVISA to Reevaluate Ban on E-Cigarettes in 2022

According to a recent report by Veja, the Brazilian National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) is set to hold a public meeting on December 1, 2022 to discuss the ban on e-cigarettes that has been in effect since 2009. Despite the ban, e-cigarettes continue to be widely available in the market in Brazil. A survey conducted by Ipec in 2022 revealed that approximately 2.2 million adults in Brazil regularly consume e-cigarettes, making this market entirely illegal.

Brazilian Senator Soraya Thronicke introduced a bill in October aimed at regulating the production, import, export, sale, supervision, and advertising of e-cigarettes in Brazil. During the defense debate, she emphasized that the sale of e-cigarettes (vapes) in Brazil is currently unregulated, putting consumers at risk as they are unaware of the products or substances they are inhaling. "What risks are these people facing? Why are we indifferent to this serious issue, while consumption has already reached nearly six million adults?" she questioned.

Senator Tronik also cited the losses resulting from tax evasion. "From an economic perspective, the import and sale of e-cigarettes operate on the fringes of the tax system, leading to significant tax losses," she emphasized. According to a study by the Minas Gerais State Industry Federation (FIEMG), the potential market for e-cigarettes could reach 7.5 billion Brazilian reals annually. Considering only imports, the average annual federal tax revenue could reach 2.2 billion Brazilian reals.

Dr. Joelmir Silva, a full-time professor at the Olynda Medical School, emphasized the importance of regulations, stating, "Without regulations, it is impossible to know what is being sold. The lack of control over products, especially those containing counterfeit substances, can pose a greater risk to health. The lack of regulations regarding product composition and ingredient limits is another issue of concern.