Suriname has banned the sale of all e-cigarette products. This small South American country has been included in one of the eight countries that are taking measures under the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) to protect its people's health from new tobacco products.

The Republic of Suriname is a country located in northern South America, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north, French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, and Brazil to the south.

The World Health Organization announced on Friday that with Venezuela's recent ban on the use and marketing of e-cigarettes, 21 countries in the Americas are currently regulating e-cigarettes and electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) such as e-cigarettes.

Anselm Hennis, Director of the Department of Mental Health for Non communicable Diseases at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), said: "The resolution to regulate the emerging nicotine and tobacco products in Venezuela is an important step forward for the country and the region.

He added, "We hope this measure can inspire other countries to take action on these products, which are addictive, harmful, and actively promote them to young people


The eight new countries to join the initiative are Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The Pan American Health Organization stated that these countries completely prohibit sales, while the other 13 countries have partially or fully implemented one or more regulatory measures.


The Pan American Health Organization report points out that 14 countries in the Americas, including the Caribbean region, lack any regulation of e-cigarette products.