According to Mexican media reports, through a legal protection driven by business, four retail chains, including Sanborns, Benavides, 711 and Oxxo, will be able to freely sell e-cigarette products, despite the Mexican president’s ban on e-cigarette sales.
This means that Philip Morris International will be able to freely distribute its e-cigarette products in Mexico. According to a report in the Milenio newspaper, “Sources have revealed that Oxxo received the final judgment at the Second Administrative Court of Mexico City on August 10, 2023.”
The retailers said the recent verdict highlights the urgency of regulating the e-cigarette market, arguing that such regulation would benefit consumers, merchants and government agencies as it would ensure the quality of all products, reduce informal markets and create a more transparent and competitive marketplace.
Extended reading:
The president banned e-cigarettes a year ago
In May 2022, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador signed a decree banning the import and sale of e-cigarette products, as well as heated tobacco products. The reason is that they are more harmful than traditional cigarettes and can cause damage to human health.
Philip Morris International receives first protection order for sale of e-cigarettes
Philip Morris International has challenged Mexico’s e-cigarette ban and filed an appeal. The ruling was made by the 22nd Circuit Administrative Court in Mexico City, which found that a decree signed by President Andres Obrador in May 2022 banning the sale and distribution of e-cigarettes and heating non-burning products violated the Constitution.
The ruling gave Philip Morris International a successful “victory” over the Mexican government in selling e-cigarettes. Moreover, the federal judicial protection order is not affected by presidential decrees and does not allow the federal government to appeal.
References:
【1】 Sanborns, Benavides, 7-Eleven y Oxxo venderán los cigarros electrónicos que la 4T prohibió