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Government Prepares New Law Against Cigarettes and Vapes in 2026 After Increase in Electronic Cigarettes Among Children and Adolescents and Uses Curitiba Project as Reference, Creating Unprecedented Restrictions for Tobacco Shops Within 500 Meters of Schools and Updating Local Anti-Smoking Rules Already Expanded in 2023.
A new law against cigarettes and vapes enters the public debate after the increase in electronic cigarette consumption among children and adolescents, pressuring authorities for a new phase of tightening anti-smoking rules in the country. The movement gains momentum from Curitiba, where a bill pending in the City Council is cited as a possible model for broader changes in 2026.
According to the proposed design, the new law against cigarettes and vapes relies on territorial restrictions to reduce exposure and access close to schools, without prohibiting the economic activity of tobacco shops. The declared intention is to create protection zones in sensitive areas and reinforce public health protection, especially for children and adolescents.
Curitiba Project Imposes 500-Meter Limit for Tobacco Shops Near Schools
The proposal in Curitiba is authored by councilor Tico Kuzma (PSD) and adds a new article to the Municipal Anti-Smoking Law, the Law No. 13.254/2009.
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The text establishes that tobacco shops and similar establishments may not operate within 500 meters of public or private schools, at any level of education.
The measurement criterion is also defined: the distance will be calculated from the closest point between the boundary of the educational institution’s property and the boundary of the commercial establishment’s land.
In the justification, the author states that the new law against cigarettes and vapes does not seek to prohibit the activity, but to create protection zones to preserve the educational environment.
Central Argument: Protect Educational Environment from Stimuli and Dependency
The defense of the bill argues that the new law against cigarettes and vapes focuses on reducing stimuli for the consumption of products that generate dependency and harm to health.
The author points out that restricting the establishment of tobacco shops near schools acts on daily exposure, early access, and the normalization of consumption.
The proposal is presented as a public health response and protection for children and adolescents.
The focus is territorial: instead of only discussing use in public spaces, the text advances to the logic of control around schools as a sensitive area.
Vapes Among Youth: Visual Appeal, Flavors, and Misleading Perception of Risk
The debate over the new law against cigarettes and vapes is driven by the rise in the use of electronic smoking devices, referred to as ENDS, commonly known as vapes, pods, or electronic cigarettes.
The councilor argues that the uptake among adolescents tends to be linked to visual appeal strategies, flavors, and a misleading perception of lower risk.
In this reasoning, the proximity of sales points to schools favors exposure and access, increasing the likelihood of initiation.
The proposal describes this mechanism as a form of “normalization” of consumption around the school audience, something that the new law against cigarettes and vapes seeks to cut off at the source.
Municipal Anti-Smoking Law Already Includes Electronic Cigarettes Since 2023
Curitiba is described as one of the cities with the oldest anti-smoking legislation in the country, with a municipal rule in place for 16 years, prohibiting the use of smoking products in collective environments, public or private.
In 2023, the City Council approved an expansion to expressly include electronic smoking devices.
The formalization occurred through Law No. 16.266/2023, which included ENDS in the text and stipulated that signage must mention the prohibition on the use of electronic cigarettes in collective spaces.
This update reinforces the backdrop that supports the new law against cigarettes and vapes as the next step.
From Local Rule to National Reference: How 2026 Can Expand the Model
The text indicates that the pending project could serve as a model for broader tightening in 2026, transforming municipal experiences into national references.
The logic is to leverage a legal framework already tested locally, with clear rules on distance, measurement, and health justification.
If it advances, the new law against cigarettes and vapes tends to consolidate two fronts: restriction of use in collective spaces, already expanded for electronic cigarettes, and restriction of availability in areas close to schools, targeting directly the most vulnerable audience to the initiation of consumption.
In your city, do you think the new law against cigarettes and vapes should focus more on distance from tobacco shops near schools or on heavy enforcement of vape use in collective places?
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