E-cigarettes in Chile

Chile: The Chamber of Deputies Health Committee yesterday heard the government’s comments on Bill 12626-11, which, together with Bill 12632-11, seeks to equate all vaping products, regardless of their nicotine content, with tobacco products. The Health Committee agreed in March to drop all provisions relating to vaping products, but they have been reintroduced. The committee has now set a new deadline of 17th November to end the discussion and decide on the bill, which also introduces certain provisions on e-cigarette devices and their components.

Chile: Bill 12694-11 to establish a comprehensive regulatory framework for vaping products, with and without nicotine, has recently been on the agenda of the Chamber of Deputies Health Committee, having been in the legislative process since June 2019. Though scheduled debates on 2nd, 9th and 16th August failed to take place, the mere fact of the bill’s first appearance on the agenda may suggest a willingness to start pushing it forward. One of the signatories to the bill, Gabriel Boric, became Chile’s president in March.

Chile: The Public Health Institute (ISP) has warned against the use of e-cigarettes, with a reminder that those containing nicotine are illegal in Chile as the ISP has not granted the required pharmaceutical status to any such product. The institute also says nicotine-free vaping products pose multiple health risks.