Costa Rica: Health Ministry Insists on Banning Import Electronic Cigarettes

Source from:  TheCostaRicaNews.com General (cr)  04/17/2013

The Ministry of Health is analyzing current legislation to prevent the importation of electronic cigarettes into the country.

Electronic cigarettes are an alternative for people who wish to continue smoking but not inhaling noxious substances of snuffs.

The ministry has not been able to stop the import. In other countries, these electronic cigarettes are banned to prevent harm to the health of people. Among the ingredients are substances that are carcinogenic,

They have not yet found a way to ban the import and use of electronic cigarettes, but continue to support investigations of the FDA and the precautionary principle.

Article 11 of the Law states: "The natural or legal persons, importers and / or manufacturers of snuff and its derivatives, including electronic cigarette contains nicotine, must submit annually under affidavit the Ministry of Health, ingredients and emissions of nicotine, tar and carbon monoxide, and the methods of analysis used, snuff products and their derivatives, marketed in the country (…) The country and imported products which do not meet the above may be confiscated and destroyed by the health authorities and in case of imports customs clearance will not be authorized to enter the country, for which, the procedure according to the respective responsibilities of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finance.

While Article 12 of the Act determines that the Ministry of Health shall prohibit the use of certain ingredients where clear objective scientific criteria and standards, of an increase the total toxicity and dependencies of snuff products and its derivatives.

The Deputy Minister of Health, said that within the next six months they could have a specific proposal to ban the import and avoid the use of electronic cigarettes. Enditem