FEREFOR

E-CIGARETTES BAN IN INDIA

E-cigarettes, the consumption of which is popularly known as vaping,  is now illegal in India with the government passing an ordinance on 18 September 2019 banning the sale manufacturing, distribution, import, storage, transport and advertisement of the product.

Use of e-cigarette is punishable with an imprisonment of up to one year fine up to one lakh, or both of the first offense; and imprisonment of up to three years and fined up to five lakh for a subsequent offense, Even storage is punishable with an imprisonment of to six months and fine up to 50,000 on both.

Globally, many countries are evaluating the health risks associated with using e-cigarettes, and India is one of the handfuls of countries to enforce a complete ban. The reason is the health risks posed by e-cigarettes and in particular, the perception among adolescents and the youth that vaping is "cool", making e-cigarettes a potential gateway to smoking regular cigarettes.

With cigarettes being associated with fatal lung disease and the death of millions of people around the globe, Manufacturers introduce electronic nicotine delivery systems (ends) that were deceptively promoted as a less harmful alternative. They were introduced and popularised by forwarding the argument that they are effective in helping people quit smoking effectively. however, they are not concrete large scale studies to show their effectiveness in helping people quit smoking. Health activists argue that these products actually undermine the efforts to de-normalize tobacco use.

There is no conclusive evidence of "harm reduction" as well as any cessation benefits of these products. On the contrary, newer evidence of harm is emerging, as demonstrated by the outbreak of severe lung disease due to vaping.

The liquid in the e-cigarette usually contains nicotine, which is toxic, highly addictive and known to be lethal chemical. To make it more appealing to the youth, more than 7000 variety of flavors are mixed in the liquid. Apart from the nicotine, e-cigarette cartridges can also be used as delivery devices for addictive and harmful substances such as cannabis and opiates.

As per WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic 2017, the government of 13 countries has already banned the product anticipating the possibility of children, adolescents and youth (and generally non-smokers) initiating nicotine use through ENDS at a rate greater than expected. If Ends did not exist; and that once addicted to nicotine through ends, Such children, adolescents, and youth are likely to switch to cigarette smoking. That report says that the scientific evidence regarding the effectiveness of ENDS as a smoking cessation aid is scant and of low certainty, making it difficult to draw credible inferences.