1674682699 Mexican law bans smoking on beaches and all public places

Mexican law bans smoking on beaches and all public places with fines of up to $550

Tourists in Mexico hoping to light up a cigarette on the beach or other public places may now face hefty fines thanks to a new regulation that recently came into force in the country.

Visitors to Mexico can now be fined hundreds of dollars, along with locals, for smoking in outdoor public places such as beaches, parks, town squares, hotels, stadiums and other areas, according to a law that went into effect in the country last week kicked.

The law, which the BBC reported is “one of the toughest anti-smoking laws in the world”, also includes a ban on tobacco product advertising and cigarettes cannot be displayed in shops.

“Mexico is becoming one of the countries that are at the forefront of protecting the health of children and adolescents,” Gady Zabicky Sirot, head of Mexico’s National Commission Against Addiction, said in a press release.

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A young man smokes a cigarette in the streets of Mexico City during World No Tobacco Day in Mexico.

A young man smokes a cigarette in the streets of Mexico City during World No Tobacco Day in Mexico. (Gerardo Vieyra/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

It’s unclear how strictly the law will be enforced in a country where one in eight Mexicans, some 16 million people, say they smoke, and the BBC reported that some residents are concerned corrupt law enforcement officials will use the law to extort money residents or tourists.

Diana Cedillo, deputy director of the National Office of Tobacco Control, told the Washington Post that smoking fines could be as high as $550 and a 2008 smoking law already on the books could have jail terms of up to 36 hours might mean those who refuse to cooperate.

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A man dressed in traditional Mexican clothing lights a cigarette as he prepares for a parade during the commemoration of the 112th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution in Zocalo Square in Mexico City November 20, 2022.

A man wearing a traditional Mexican lights a cigarette as he prepares for a parade during the commemoration of the 112th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution in Zocalo Square in Mexico City November 20, 2022. (Rodrigo Oropeza/AFP via Getty Images)

At least one hotel, the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya on Mexico’s tourist-friendly Yucatan Peninsula south of Cancun, has already posted online that it has made changes to its property, the Washington Post reported.

“All public areas of the property have been declared smoke free from cigarettes, vapes, e-cigarettes and all other tobacco products,” the popular resort wrote online. “Designated smoking areas will be specifically marked throughout the hotel for guests to use if necessary.”

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A street vendor sells cigarettes in Mexico.

A street vendor sells cigarettes in Mexico. (Portal/Henry Romero)

Some businesses, particularly in the border town of Ciudad Juarez just across from El Paso, Texas, fear the new law will cost them 20% of their revenue and have suggested suing the government, according to the Border Report.

Andrew Mark Miller is a Fox News writer. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to [email protected].