Philip Morris Brazil is urging the Brazilian National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) to regulate e-cigarettes in the country, according to a report from Brazilian newspaper O Globo.
Last Tuesday (December 12th), Anvisa conducted a public consultation on the issue of e-cigarettes. Philip Morris Brazil quickly launched a voting campaign advocating for the regulation of electronic products, opposing a legislative ban on e-cigarettes and listing reasons supporting their regulation.
Philip Morris of Brazil claims that for any smoker, the best choice is to quit smoking, but if quitting is not possible, they should opt for smokeless products such as e-cigarettes, as they entail lesser potential harm to health.
Rafael Bastos, the Senior Corporate Affairs Manager of Philip Morris Brazil, stated that smoking e-cigarettes poses significantly less harm to one’s health compared to traditional tobacco combustion.
Additionally, he pointed out that currently Anvisa does not know what substances are contained in e-cigarettes, which is also due to the lack of transparency in the illicit market. This issue can be resolved by implementing compliance management for e-cigarettes.
A survey conducted by the investigation agency Ipec reveals that despite a ban on the use of electronic devices since 2009, approximately 2.2 million Brazilians are e-cigarette users.
Philip Morris believes that Brazilian consumers have already made their decision to use their product, regardless of its legality. Therefore, it is necessary to regulate in order to ensure the best possible manner of consumption.
These products are increasingly entering the country, and the reasons for their entry are very clear – because of demand. Today, the smuggling of e-cigarettes is providing funding for criminal gangs,” said Bastos.
The public consultation by Anvisa on the subject will continue until February 9, 2024.
