Argentine lawmakers approved a nationwide law Wednesday that would ban tobacco advertising and smoking in public places, and require warning messages on product packaging.
The effort, under debate for years in Congress, and strongly opposed by the tobacco industry, was approved overwhelmingly with 181 yes votes, one abstention and a single no vote.
Members of the lower house of Congress voted overwhelmingly to approve the legislation, which had been passed by the Senate last year.
The legislation will ban tobacco advertising and sponsorship.
It will also force manufacturers to put public health warnings on cigarette packets.
Argentina Bans Smoking in Public Places
It will become illegal to sell cigarettes to under-18s, and the practice of selling single cigarettes will end.
One of its main backers, Senator Daniel Filmus, described the legislation as one of “the most advanced in the world” and said it would save thousands of lives.
Argentina’s Health Minister Juan Manzur hailed the vote.
“At last Argentina has a national law controlling tobacco, which puts limits on a habit that sadly many citizens have, and which is highly toxic,” he said.
The measure aims to end smoking in bars, restaurants and workplaces.
People will still be able to smoke in places like patios, balconies and terraces, unless they are situated in schools or hospitals.
Those who break the law will face fines worth the equivalent of between 250,000 and 1,000,000 packets of the most expensive cigarettes on the market.
Smokers make up nearly 33 percent of the adult population in Argentina, amounting to some eight million people, according to official data. Tobacco-related diseases are thought to contribute to 40,000 deaths a year.
In addition, somewhere between 15 and 20 percent of pregnant women in Argentina remain smokers through their pregnancies, one of the highest rates in the Americas and the world, according to government statistics.
Health Minister Juan Manzur said the law’s passing made the day one “to celebrate life.”
Similar moves in Uruguay and Brazil, he added, have “shown excellent results.”
In 2006, Uruguay became the first Latin American country to ban smoking in public places, and the fifth in the world. Several countries in the region have since followed.
The city of Buenos Aires prohibited smoking in public places, bars and restaurants starting in October 2006.
Last month, Argentina also banned the import, sale and promotion of electronic cigarettes, with lawmakers insisting there was no proof they helped smokers kick the habit.
Uruguay, Colombia and Panama have already banned the smokeless e-cigarettes. The devices have not been banned in the United States or the European Union.
