The famous newspaper “Folha de S.Pablo” recently published an article on the renewal of the current ban on electronic cigarettes on Brazilian territory.
Under the title “Prohibitionist smoke“, the newspaper questions the justification for the recent decision of the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) to maintain the ban on electronic cigarettes, imposed in 2009.
Even if it raises some doubts about the health risks and the effectiveness of these products in combating smoking, the newspaper states that the current regulation has only led to the imposition of black markets for the commercialization of electronic cigarettes. In particular, they point out that “the products are on sale all over Brazil. They enter the country through smuggling, a crime that the authorities combat with notorious difficulty”. This results in less safe products for consumers.
Along these lines, the Brazilian publication comments that “In more than a decade of prohibition in the national territory, the authorities have shown themselves impotent to stop the commercialization. The mere renewal of the ban will not produce this result”.
So what is the solution? “Informing, restricting, and discouraging consumption may be more productive than trying to eradicate it. With alcohol and other drugs, prohibitionism has already demonstrated its ineffectiveness and its high social cost”.
The note ends by concluding that “The rational solution is to regulate adult use, since it is not up to the State to determine what individuals autonomously decide about their own bodies. But it is necessary to put means in place to enforce strict standards in terms of levels and sales, as well as educational campaigns on the damage to health.” Ultimately, in the face of persistent consumer demand, “smart” regulation would be more effective in combating both smoking and the risks of black market products. Total prohibition only harms the population.
* Federico N. Fernández is Executive Director of the Somos Innovación Network.
** Tomás Leonardelli is Project Director of the Bases International Foundation.
Source: We are Innovation
