It is not a voted law. It is a customs order, announced on Saturday evening. President Mohamed Irfaan Ali said Guyana will stop the import of recreational vapes. Bloomberg reported the measure. The official text is at the Department of Public Information. The order, he said, will be signed by Finance Minister Ashni Singh, under the Customs Act, Chapter 82:01. Until it is signed and published, it is an announcement. It is not Monday’s shelf emptied.

The exception is narrow. In comes what the health minister, the National Tobacco Control Council or the Tobacco Control Board approve, for medicinal or therapeutic use. Recreation, out. Ali spoke after parents, teachers, religious leaders, about schools. “A decisive step in protecting our children, protecting our schools, and safeguarding our families.” The formula is his. There is no epidemiological bulletin published beside it.

He cited the WHO: toxic substances, breathing, nicotine, adolescent brains, pregnancy. “The absence of complete knowledge about those long-term effects must not be mistaken for evidence of safety.” That is political caution, not a new study from Georgetown. Vapes are sold as an alternative to cigarettes. He said they are not harmless. He did not say they are cigarettes.

The measure hits imports, not necessarily stock already on the counter. DPI gives no sell-through deadline for shops. No fines. No number of children. Anyone writing “Guyana banned vaping” digs deeper than the order. Anyone writing “medicinal only” is close, if the order looks as promised.

Until Singh signs, it remains a Saturday address. After the signature, it remains customs. The children in schools, if the products leave the market, will show in months, not in a statement.

Image: Kevin Gabbert, Parliament in Georgetown, Guyana, July 2005, public domain, Wikimedia Commons. The photograph shows the building, not a customs order and not a vape.

Sources consulted: Guyana to Block Vape Product Imports Amid Youth Health Concerns — Bloomberg; Pres Ali announces restrictions on vape imports amid public health concerns — DPI Guyana.