Vaping: A legal dilemma in South Korea and an underground trend in Brazil
Chyung Eun-ju
During our latest visit together to Brazil, we noticed an unexpected difference in the consumption of one of the trendiest products of recent years — vapes. While exploring the city’s vibrant nightlife, we observed that the trend of electronic cigarettes had taken off in Brazil, much like it has in South Korea. Street vendors were readily offering vapes in bustling neighborhoods, but it was not long before we learned of a key difference between South Korea and Brazil regarding these products.
In South Korea, vapes resembling colorful toys or trendy accessories have become a common sight, creating an approachable image that belies their role as nicotine delivery devices. While South Korea and Japan embrace a flourishing e-cigarette market, Brazil has taken a starkly different approach. On April 19, the Brazilian Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) upheld its long-standing ban on the manufacture, sale, import and advertising of e-cigarettes, initially imposed in 2009. Despite this restriction, an estimated 4 million Brazilians currently vape, as products remain widely accessible in stores and online.
Anvisa’s decision followed a public consultation, citing rising rates of underage vaping, addiction concerns, insufficient long-term health data and risks to Brazil’s globally recognized tobacco control efforts. Anvisa also pointed to the World Health Organization's recommendation for countries to prohibit e-cigarettes to safeguard public health. However, groups like ABIFUMO argue that a regulated market could better ensure product safety and limit access for minors, as is done in over 80 other countries. Philip Morris Brasil echoed these concerns, suggesting that Brazil’s prohibition fuels an unregulated market without quality control.
Joel Cho
South Korean health advocates echo some of Brazil's concerns. They are calling for e-cigarettes to be classified as tobacco products to bring them under stricter regulations. Currently, e-cigarettes fall outside the Tobacco Business Act, exempting them from health warnings and tobacco taxes. This regulatory gap has contributed to a spike in unmanned vape shops in Seoul, which often lack........
© The Korea Times
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