Stop manufacture, sale of e-cigarettes: Centre tells states

Health ministry advisory to states asks them to stop sale, manufacture, distribution, trade, import, advertisements of e-cigarettes

E-cigarettes may be on their way out.

Health ministry on Tuesday sent an advisory to states asking them to stop sale (including online sale), manufacture, distribution, trade, import and advertisements of e-cigarettes citing the effect of these nicotine delivery products on women and children.

Mauritius, Australia, Singapore, Korea (Democratic People’s Republic), Sri Lanka, Thailand, Brazil, Mexico, Uruguay, Bahrain, Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates etc, have already banned e-cigarettes

“…it is evident that Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) including eCigarettes, Heat-Not-Burn devices, Vape, e-Sheesha, e-Nicotine Flavoured Hookah, and the like devices or products available by whatsoever name, that enable nicotine delivery or its use, are a great health risk to public at large, especially to children, adolescents, pregnant women and women of reproductive age. It is also evident that ENDS are not approved as NRTs under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and Rules made thereunder,” reads the advisory. Under the Constitution of India, health is a state subject so any move to ban manufacture and sale of a product on health grounds needs to come from the state government. A similar thing had happened for gutkha ban.

According to the World Health Organization Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2017, the Governments of 30 countries including Mauritius, Australia, Singapore, Korea (Democratic People’s Republic), Sri Lanka, Thailand, Brazil, Mexico, Uruguay, Bahrain, Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates etc, have already banned Electronic Nicotine Delivery System (ENDS) – the formal name for e-cigarettes.

In 2014 the ministry of health & family welfare, Government of India conducted a Roundtable discussion on Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) in which eminent doctors, specialists, scientists and officers of Health and Drug departments concluded that available scientific evidences indicate that the ENDS and similar technologies that encourage tobacco use, are hazardous for an active as well as passive users and have an adverse impact on public health.