According to Diario do Poder, on May 21st, the Economic Affairs Committee (CAE), Social Affairs Committee (CAS), and Transparency, Oversight, and Control Committee (CTFC) of the Brazilian Federal Senate held hearings on Bill PL 5.008/2023 on Tuesday (21st). The following Wednesday morning (22nd), the House Consumer Protection Committee will also discuss the issue.
Rodrigo Marinho, the executive director of the Free Market Institute (Livre Mercado), will deliver a speech at a public hearing in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, the 23rd. Marinho stated that existing bans have proven to be ineffective.
Establishing clear rules can ensure the right of adult smokers to choose, while also ensuring the safety of consumers and suppliers. It can also attract more businesses to enter the market and hold them accountable for the products they sell.
Since 2009, Brazil has banned the sale, import, and promotion of e-cigarettes. However, the Free Market Parliamentary Front (FPLM) and the Free Market Institute (ILM) are actively engaging in this discussion and advocating for regulation of the industry. FPLM believes regulations not only acknowledge the reality of the existence of e-cigarettes, but also align Brazil with international conventions adopted by over 100 countries.
According to the Brazilian polling agency Ipec, data from 2023 shows that even with the ban in place, there are still over three million people in Brazil using e-cigarettes. FPLM's consumer freedom coordinator and federal congressman Gilson Marques (Novo-SC) believes that the government does not have the right to overly interfere with people's freedoms, and maintaining current legislation does not prevent consumption but instead creates uncertainty in terms of laws and product quality.
This is a loss for consumers, businesses, and the government. The government is losing tax revenue from imported cigarettes because of this. In fact, over a hundred countries have already embraced this reality and have opened up production and sales of e-cigarettes. Brazil cannot afford to fall behind other countries.
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