ObjectiveTo document the regulatory environment of new tobacco and nicotine products (NTNPs), including electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and heated tobacco products (HTPs), in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).MethodsReview of market research reports and databases, regulatory websites, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, relevant published literature and the 2021 WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic.ResultsENDS entered the LAC market in the 2010s and are now available in most LAC countries. A majority of LAC countries (n=18) have either banned the commercialisation of ENDS (n=7) or regulated ENDS as tobacco products (n=7), medicinal products (n=1) or consumer products (n=3). The remaining LAC countries (n=15) do not regulate ENDS. HTPs were first introduced in 2017 and have been officially launched in five countries (Colombia, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Mexico and Costa Rica). Few countries have banned HTP commercialisation (n=3) or regulated commercialisation and use (n=7), while the majority of countries have existing legislation that applies to HTPs (n=19). A few countries (n=4) have no tobacco control legislation and therefore do not regulate HTPs.ConclusionNTNPs are emerging products in the LAC region. Governments should follow WHO guidance and the decisions of the Conference of Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and ban or regulate NTNPs as tobacco products; otherwise NTNPs could create a new generation of tobacco and nicotine users.

Almost 20 years after the launching by the Pan American Health Organization of its “Smoke-Free Americas” initiative in 2001, in December 2020, South America became the first subregion in the Americas to accomplish 100% smoke-free environments in line with Article 8 of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). Some of these countries adopted legal measures that are more robust than others, including in their laws specific outdoor places in the smoking ban (like Argentina and Uruguay) and/or novel nicotine and tobacco products under their scope (like Ecuador and Paraguay). The 10 countries took different paths to adopt this public health measure, either through executive or legislative measures or a combination of both. A few countries, like Argentina, Brazil, and Venezuela, started at the subnational level and then moved on to the national level, similar to the rest of the countries. For achieving this milestone, an adequate context was crucial: the broad ratification of the FCTC and the relevance given to the human right to health, civil society efforts, commitments made by intergovernmental bodies, media and communication strategies, and the development of scientific evidence. Countries faced obstacles, including the well-known interference of the tobacco industry, which among other strategies used litigation; however, courts and judges upheld comprehensive legal measures on smoke-free environments. The process by which South America achieved this milestone represents a role model for other subregions of the Americas and the world.

Objective. To assess progress in and barriers to implementing bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship (TAPS) in Uruguay, which has a complete ban, and Argentina, with a partial ban. Methods. Legislation on TAPS bans in Uruguay and Argentina was reviewed and relevant published literature, news stories, civil society reports and tobacco industry reports retrieved to analyze progress in implementing TAPS bans. Results. In Uruguay, the complete TAPS ban, which includes standardized tobacco packaging, maintains high compliance and severely limits exposure of TAPS, despite a few problems with corporate social responsibility, social media, and transnational advertising. In Argentina, the partial TAPS ban has more problems with compliance and exposure to TAPS. The most important barriers to implementing TAPS bans in both countries are the tobacco companies. In Uruguay, tobacco companies do not comply in a few areas but the complete ban greatly minimizes this. In Argentina, however, tobacco companies can more easily exploit gaps in the partial TAPS ban, such as advertising at the points of sale, promoting contests, and using influencers on social media. Conclusions. The partial TAPS ban in Argentina illustrates the problems with enforcement and the tobacco industry’s ability to exploit loopholes and continue to market their products, especially to young people. A complete TAPS ban, including standardized tobacco packaging, as in Uruguay, is easier to implement and enforce and is effective in reducing exposure to tobacco advertising. Nevertheless, governments should prioritize implementing TAPS bans on social media, which remains a difficult sphere to monitor and allows tobacco companies to continue recruiting and targeting young people.

Articles reporting research may be full length or brief reports. These should report original research findings within the journal's scope. Papers should generally be a maximum of 4000 words in length, excluding tables, references, and abstract and key points of the article, whilst it is recommended that the number of references should not exceed 30. Review PapersComprehensive, authoritative, reviews within the journal's scope. There are two types of review papers:-systematic review papers: respond to a specific research question, accrue from criterion-based selection of sources, include a quantitative synthesis and a statistical method (meta-analysis), and should adhere to PRISMA guidelines. Guidelines used for abstracting data and assessing data quality and validity should be noted in methods section. -narrative review papers: the research question may be broad, and the scope of this review is to discuss a specific topic and keep the readers up-to-date about it. This type of review does not necessarily include a methodological approach and its synthesis is usually qualitative. Narrative reviews should include in a developments section, with details regarding data sources used, keywords applied, time restrictions and study types selected. Developments should be based on actual review articles. All review papers should be generally less than 6000 words, excluding abstract, tables, figures and references. References should not exceed 50. Conclusion of the reviews should be specific and stem from the findings. Short ReportsBrief reports of data from original research. Short reports are shorter versions of original articles, may include one table or figure, should not exceed 1500 words, and it is recommended that the number of references should not exceed 15. Short reports are suitable for the presentation of research that extends previously published research, including the reporting of additional controls and confirmatory results in other settings, as well as negative results. Authors must clearly acknowledge any work upon which they are building, both published and unpublished.

Philip Morris International has used the July 7, 2020 United States Food and Drug Administration’s (US FDA) modified risk tobacco product order for IQOS®, which authorized certain reduced exposure marketing claims, as a corporate strategy to promote and normalize its heated tobacco products in Latin America. The modified risk tobacco product orders are based on the US’s unique regulatory system that is not, and should not be, replicated anywhere else in the world. Philip Morris International’s global public relations campaign largely ignored the FDA’s rejection of reduced risk claims for IQOS and other key FDA findings that are important for policy-makers, regulators, and consumers – including tobacco users and Philip Morris International’s customers – to understand the risks associated with the product. In Latin America in particular, Philip Morris International has used media outlets to promote this misleading information to the public. This company has also used the FDA ruling to lobby regulators in Latin America to relax regulations on IQOS in the region. As tobacco companies rapidly introduce new tobacco products in low- and middle-income countries, public health advocates and Parties to the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) should take measures to prevent the promotion of misleading statements about heated tobacco products, including IQOS. As Latin American countries are at different stages in their regulation of heated tobacco products, governments should adhere to their WHO FCTC obligations and the recommendations of the Conference of the Parties by entirely prohibiting the sale of heated tobacco products or strictly applying to heated tobacco products all the relevant tobacco demand-reduction policies based on the WHO FCTC (making sure to capture both heated cigarettes and heating devices).