Tobacco use is a significant public health problem in Quintana Roo, where 10% of the population is addicted to tobacco. On average, young people are reported to have their first experience with tobacco at the ages of 12 or 13, so this group is considered to be at high risk. Countrywide, about 60,000 people die of tobacco-related diseases each year; and 1 in 10 deaths in Quintanao Roo are attributed to these causes.
The approval of the new law caps earlier efforts to smokefree environments in Cozumel. In March 2013, Mayor Aurelio Joaquin Gonzalez received a commemorative plaque from the Ministry of Health certifying that 20 local government buildings were "100% Smoke Free Environments". This presentation occurred during an event in which various departments of the City of Cozumel received awards.
Throughout the process, PAHO / WHO and the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) have provided technical and legal assistance to the Ministry of Health and the Human Resources Technical Secretary represented by Victor Hugo Venegas Molina, in order to seek and promote 100% smokefree environments in enclosed places.