E-cigarette Retail Outlets in Mexico: A Country That Bans the Sale.

Introduction: Restrictive e-cigarette policies have not allowed for the characterization of the sale of these tobacco products in the countries where they are implemented. This is because it is believed that there are no stores. However, the use of e-cigarettes persists in these countries.

Aims and methods: A content analysis of electronic cigarette points of sale through the Internet in Mexico was conducted. Cross-sectional study. Structured searches were performed in the Google Maps search engine with the terms "electronic cigarette store" and "vape store" in combination with the name of each state of Mexico, in the period from October 2021 to February 2022.

Results: A total of 695 e-cigarette stores were located, of which 481 (69.2%) were physical stores, 207 hybrid stores (29.8%), 4 online stores (0.6%), and 3 (0.4%) vending machines. A total of 316 e-cigarette brands and 578 vape liquid brands were identified. The sales attraction strategy they used the most was free shipping of products (85.8%). Stores used WhatsApp (92.5%), Facebook (86.3%), and Instagram (74.4%) to promote their products. Only 35.1% of stores checked the age of their customers, of which, 95.9% asked if the customer was of legal age and 4.1% asked for the date of birth. In addition, 25.6% of the stores warned about nicotine addiction and 24.2% specifically about the ingredients of the liquids.

Conclusions: E-cigarettes are widely available and marketed in a variety of retail outlets in Mexico. The high number of stores, brands of liquids, and e-cigarettes indicates noncompliance with existing regulations.

Implications: E-cigarette consumption has increased globally, even in countries with restrictive regulations. However, there is limited data on the density and characteristics of vape stores in low- and middle-income countries with restrictive regulations. This study found no significant differences in e-cigarette sales between countries with permissive and restrictive regulations. Therefore, it is suggested that, in addition to establishing restrictive policies on the sale of e-cigarettes, their enforcement should also be monitored. Countries with restrictive measures should regulate Internet sales and promotion of e-cigarettes with greater emphasis.