Mexico Bans Smoking in Public Spaces, Including Resorts and Beaches

The Government of Mexico has approved the new Law on Tobacco Control, the most wide-ranging in the Americas, which has forbidden national or foreign citizens from smoking in public spaces, such as beaches, resorts, patios, balconies, terraces, amusement parks, shopping malls, public transport, and entertainment centers, among many other places.

The ban is in effect as of January 15, 2023.

The regulation states that restaurants, bars, hotels, and entertainment centers can maintain their smoking-only areas; however, they cannot offer any services in those areas that must be physically separated by at least 10 meters.

The new law also stipulates that it is strictly forbidden that, in places intended for lodging, any tobacco or nicotine products are consumed in guest rooms and areas with access to the general public or shared use.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), after congratulating the Mexican government for the implementation of the Law on Tobacco Control, said that tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death in the world and responsible for about one million deaths a year in the Americas region, counting direct smokers, such as second-hand smokers.