The Federal Government argues that these devices contain flavorings such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to serious lung disease, as well as heavy metals such as nickel, tin and lead. While warning about its growing use among minors.
According to the National Commission against Addictions, 975,000 people between the ages of 12 and 65 in Mexico use vapers or electronic cigarettes and 5 million have used them at some time. It is estimated that 938,000 teenagers have tried e-cigarettes and 160,000 of them currently use them.
The promoters of the legalization of the devices assure that the new measure, far from reducing the sale of the devices, will further favor their sale on the black market. “With the closure of stores and establishments, which may occur after the decree, people who decide to continue vaping will look for the product on the street, without there being any certainty that the products do not have any defects,” Cirión declares.
And meanwhile, the use of IQOS grows
Unlike vapers, on July 19, 2021, the government authorized the importation for sale of tobacco heating devices. A measure that favored Philip Morris, owner of Marlboro, which since 2019 markets these devices under the IQOS brand.
The company already has 45,000 IQOS users in Mexico, a figure that represents a growth of 40% compared to the 32,000 users it had in July of last year, according to data that the company shared with Expansionwhen the market was opened to these devices.
For now, 29% of Philip Morris’ international turnover comes from the sale of smokeless devices, which are sold in 71 different markets. These devices add up to 21 million users, of which 15 million have stopped smoking traditional cigarettes and have become hooked on IQOS.
Paulina Villegas, regional director of sustainability for Latin America and Canada at Philip Morris details that 99% of the company’s spending on research and development is on smokeless products and in the last year, the resources allocated to these investigations were around 586 million of dollars.
The business is lucrative. The global e-cigarette and vaping market was valued at $18.13 billion in 2021, up 20.5% from $15.04 billion in 2020, according to Grand View Research data. However, the consultancy highlights that future development will depend on the approval of regulations worldwide, although it estimates a compound annual growth rate of 30% by 2030.
“(The money that the company allocates to research and development of smokeless products) speaks to the objective we have set ourselves to enter new markets and our commitment so that our income comes, for the most part, from these (smokeless) products. . We want to make this transition as a company, we want to stop producing and marketing conventional cigarettes “he concludes.