After more than a decade of prohibition, Argentina’s Ministry of Health has issued a resoluutio legalising vapes, heated tobacco products, and nicotine pouches. The ban on e-cigarettes had been in place since 2011. A separate resolution banning heated tobacco products from 2023 has also been scrapped. From now on, these products can be imported, registered, and sold legally in Argentina for the first time.

This is a genuine step forward. Prohibition was not working. These products were already widely available in Argentina, circulating without any quality controls, age verification, or oversight. The government has now acknowledged that reality and chosen regulation over denial. That matters.

The World Vapers’ Alliance has been pushing for this outcome for years. Through our Vapeo Responsable campaign, we gathered more than 10,000 signatures from Argentine consumers and engaged directly with policymakers to make the case for proportionate regulation. Adult smokers in Argentina deserve access to less harmful alternatives, and this resolution moves things in the right direction.

That said, the framework has real problems that limit its public health value.

Flavours are banned across all categories, with only tobacco and menthol permitted. This is not supported by tieteellinen näyttö. Adult vapers overwhelmingly use non-tobacco flavours, and research consistently shows that flavoured products are significantly more effective at helping smokers switch completely. A flavour ban does not protect anyone. It makes less harmful alternatives less appealing and drives consumers back towards cigarettes or towards unregulated products. We have seen this play out in other countries. Argentina should not repeat those mistakes.

Disposable vapes remain prohibited. Nicotine concentrations are capped in a way that may leave heavy smokers unsatisfied. These restrictions reduce the chances that the regulation will actually move the needle on smoking rates.

The good news is that Argentina has explicitly recognised that nicotine pouches do not cause harm to third parties. That is an important acknowledgement and a sign that the government is at least thinking in terms of risk differentiation rather than treating all nicotine products as identical to cigarettes.

The global picture is clear. Countries that give smokers access to affordable, accessible, and appealing less harmful alternatives see smoking rates fall. Sweden, the UK, Japan, and New Zealand are all proof of that. Argentina now has the regulatory infrastructure to follow that path. Whether it actually does depends on what comes next.

We will continue pushing for the restrictions to be revised. The flavour ban in particular needs to go. Argentina has taken the first step. The next one is to make the framework work for the millions of smokers who need a real alternative.