Mexico to ban vapes but critics fear organised crime will gain

Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has confirmed that her government will seek to enshrine a ban on e-cigarettes and vapes in the country's constitution by the end of the year.

- Thomas Graham

Though the move is driven by public health concerns, it has prompted fears that it would only boost a thriving black market for vapes in the hands of powerful organised crime groups, such as the Sinaloa cartel and Jalisco New Generation cartel.

E-cigarettes and vapes are currently in a legal grey area, after previous bans were challenged in court. But including the ban in the constitution would be definitive.

After its landslide victory in elections last June, Morena, the governing party, has a supermajority in congress that means it can rewrite the constitution at will.

About 1.7 million Mexicans use e-cigarettes and vapes and the number is rising, with no sign the attempted bans have reduced consumption.

There are two markets for such products. Legal companies import the more expensive vapes which are sold, for example, in convenience stores. Then there are the cheaper vapes that are sold more informally, for example by street vendors.