Shaping the Future: Proposed Bills to Regulate New and Emerging Tobacco and Nicotine Products in Latin America and the Caribbean Amidst Public Health Concerns and Industry Interests

Introduction:
This text provides an analysis of legislative efforts to regulate new and emerging tobacco and nicotine products (NETNPs) in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) between 2017 and 2022. The text highlights the growing importance of regulating NETNPs in LAC and the need to stay ahead of the evolving market of NETNPs.

Key Points:

* The study identified 91 bills in 15 out of the 33 LAC countries targeting NETNPs.
* Mexico had the highest number of bills (n = 38), followed by Brazil (n = 16), Argentina (n = 10), Colombia (n = 8), and Chile (n = 5).
* Among the identified bills, the majority (n = 60) addressed both electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products (HTPs), while almost one-third of bills (n = 29) applied only to electronic cigarettes.
* Six of the fifteen countries with identified bills enacted one NETNP law, including Barbados, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Guyana, Mexico, and Panama.
* Since 2019, there has been a steady increase in the amount of NETNP bills introduced in LAC.
* The study also found that some bills contained language that aligned with tobacco industry interests.
* The majority of bills (75 out of 91) aimed to regulate the commercialization and/or use of NETNPs, while a smaller number (n = 16) sought to ban the sale of these products.

Main Message:
The substantial increase in the number of NETNP bills introduced since 2019 indicates the growing importance of regulating NETNPs in LAC. It is essential to continue monitoring and evaluating tobacco and nicotine regulatory initiatives while staying ahead of the evolving market of NETNPs. The evaluation should assess their alignment with the FCTC and COP decisions while remaining vigilant for instances where industry-favorable interests may be influencing regulatory processes.

Luciana Severini, Beatriz Albuquerque de Figueiredo, Gianella Severini, Brian Tran, Ernesto M Sebrié, Eric Crosbie, Shaping the Future: Proposed Bills to Regulate New and Emerging Tobacco and Nicotine Products in Latin America and the Caribbean Amidst Public Health Concerns and Industry Interests, Nicotine & Tobacco Research, Volume 27, Issue 1, January 2025, Pages 148–151, https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntae161