The Guyana Health Policy Institute (GHPI) welcomes President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali’s announcement of forthcoming restrictions on the importation of vapes and vaping products into Guyana. We regard this as an important public-health intervention in response to growing concerns about the accessibility and use of these products among children, adolescents and young adults. Protecting the health and development of our young people must take precedence over the commercial interests associated with products that can expose users to nicotine dependence and potentially harmful substances.
The Institute recognises the growing concern expressed by the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Private Sector Commission, the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha, the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana, the Muslim Youth Organisation of Guyana, and the Association for Democracy and Human Rights (Guyana) Inc. Their support reflects an important convergence of business, religious, civic and public-health interests around the need to protect children and young people. We encourage continued cooperation among Government, the private sector, educators, parents, healthcare professionals and community organisations to ensure that this intervention achieves its intended objectives.
From a scientific perspective, there are compelling grounds for precautionary action. Nicotine is highly addictive and can adversely affect the developing adolescent brain, including functions associated with attention, learning and impulse control. Vaping aerosols are not simply harmless water vapour; depending on the product, they can contain fine particles, irritating chemicals, metals and other potentially harmful substances. The composition and quality of products circulating through poorly regulated markets may be uncertain, further complicating the assessment of risk. Although the long-term effects of vaping are still being studied, uncertainty about the full extent of harm should not be confused with evidence of safety. The World Health Organization has repeatedly raised concerns about the health risks associated with electronic nicotine delivery systems, particularly for young people and non-smokers.
The Institute also recognises that the public-health implications extend beyond individual users. Nicotine dependence can affect school attendance, concentration, family finances and educational outcomes. Spending on addictive products can divert limited household resources from food, transportation, education and other essentials. Families may also bear costs associated with cessation support and the treatment of health complications. At a national level, preventing nicotine dependence among young people is a prudent investment in human capital, workforce productivity and the long-term sustainability of healthcare services. In an economy experiencing rapid growth and significant social transformation, Guyana must ensure that its development protects not only physical infrastructure and commercial activity, but also the health, capabilities and future opportunities of its population.
At the same time, the Institute emphasises that import restrictions must form part of a coherent regulatory framework rather than be treated as a complete solution in themselves. Guyana already has a Tobacco Control Act 2017 that provides safeguards concerning tobacco and nicotine products, including restrictions on sales to minors, advertising and product display, use in designated smoke-free areas, online sales and vending-machine sales, as well as requirements concerning product regulation. The Act and its applicable regulations must be reviewed carefully to establish which provisions apply to each category of vaping product and whether existing requirements are being effectively enforced. Reports of easy access to vaping products, including among school-aged children, raise legitimate questions about compliance monitoring, retail inspections, product labelling, nicotine concentration and the effectiveness of existing penalties. New restrictions will have limited value if the regulatory framework already in place remains inconsistently enforced.
The Institute therefore calls for a coordinated enforcement programme involving the relevant customs, tax, health, consumer-protection and law-enforcement authorities. Particular attention should be given to the verification of import declarations, inspection and risk-based examination of consignments, monitoring of suspicious shipments, and the prevention of abuse of import concessions or exemptions. Where exemptions permit goods to enter without routine examination, appropriate risk-based controls and post-clearance audits should be applied in accordance with the law. No category of importer should be presumed to be non-compliant without evidence; equally, no importer or concession-holder should be beyond meaningful oversight. Enforcement must be transparent, consistent, intelligence-led and supported by clear accountability for the agencies responsible.
The Institute further stresses that restrictions should be accompanied by sustained public education and accessible cessation support. Parents, teachers, religious leaders, youth organisations and healthcare professionals should be equipped with accurate, age-appropriate information about nicotine dependence and vaping-related risks. Schools should have clear policies for addressing vaping that prioritise prevention, early intervention and appropriate support rather than relying exclusively on punishment or exclusion. Young people who already use nicotine products should be encouraged to seek assistance without stigma. Public communication must also distinguish between protecting children from recreational nicotine use and making evidence-based decisions about legitimate therapeutic applications. Any medicinal or therapeutic exceptions should be subject to proper authorisation, clinical justification, product-quality requirements and ongoing regulatory oversight.
Crucially, GHPI recommends a phased, monitored implementation of the import restrictions, supported by a clear enforcement and market-transition plan. A prohibition introduced without adequate controls over existing stock, border entry, retail distribution and online sales could create opportunities for hoarding, price inflation, smuggling and unregulated distribution. When legal supply is restricted while demand persists, the resulting price premium can increase the financial incentive for illicit importation and concealment. Products sold through underground channels may be less traceable, may not comply with applicable safety or labelling standards, and may reach minors through sellers operating outside established retail controls. These risks do not justify abandoning the restrictions; they demonstrate why implementation must be designed to prevent the emergence of a parallel market. Government should clarify the commencement date and legal scope of the proposed Customs Act order, establish transparent procedures for approved medicinal or therapeutic products, determine the lawful treatment of existing retail inventory, and provide clear compliance guidance to importers and retailers. A time-limited transition for existing stock, if considered, should be legally authorised, tightly controlled, documented and designed to prevent sales to minors or the replenishment of prohibited supply. The Institute also recommends targeted inspections, intelligence-sharing among agencies, public reporting channels, and periodic publication of enforcement outcomes so that the policy can be adjusted in response to evidence of diversion, illicit sales or unintended consequences.
The announcement made on October 17, 2026, must also be distinguished from the formal commencement of the restrictions. Based on the information currently available to the Institute, the announcement concerns a forthcoming order under the Customs Act, Chapter 82:01, to be signed by Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh. The proposed order is intended to restrict the importation of vapes and vaping products, subject to the specified approvals for qualifying products with legitimate medicinal or other authorised applications. Its precise legal effect will depend on the final text, publication in the Official Gazette, commencement provisions and applicable approval procedures. The announcement alone does not establish how existing inventory in shops, supermarkets, stores and kiosks will be handled, nor does it by itself resolve the enforcement of the Tobacco Control Act 2017. These questions require prompt, authoritative clarification. The authorities should also assess whether import exemptions, cargo-screening arrangements or weaknesses in post-clearance oversight could be exploited to introduce prohibited products at scale. Without a coordinated response to existing stock, future imports and domestic distribution, restrictions at the border could displace rather than eliminate supply, encouraging stockpiling and an underground market in which prices rise and enforcement becomes more difficult.
The Guyana Health Policy Institute supports decisive action to protect young people from nicotine dependence and preventable harm. However, the success of this intervention must ultimately be measured not by the announcement of a restriction, but by demonstrable reductions in youth access and use, effective compliance by importers and retailers, the prevention of illicit supply, and improved public understanding of the risks. We recommend that Government establish baseline data and monitor indicators such as vaping prevalence among school-aged children, seizures and attempted illicit imports, retail compliance, access to cessation support and changes in the availability and price of products. These measures would allow policymakers to assess whether the restrictions are achieving their objectives and to correct unintended consequences in a timely manner.
Protecting Guyana’s children is a shared responsibility. The Institute welcomes the Government’s stated commitment to this objective and urges all stakeholders to support an approach that is scientifically informed, socially responsible, legally clear and operationally effective. Public-health protection and sound enforcement must proceed together. With careful implementation, transparent oversight and sustained community engagement, Guyana can reduce young people’s exposure to nicotine while limiting the risks of illicit trade and strengthening the wider system of tobacco and nicotine control.
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