Vaping as dangerous as smoking, need blanket ban on e-cigarettes: Experts

March 26, 2019 15:11

The government's recent advisory asking states to clamp down on e-cigarettes may not be enough to root them out, say experts, advocating a "special mechanism" to ensure a blanket ban on the devices that many users mistakenly view as a safer alternative to combustible cigarettes.

Terming e-cigarettes poisonous and as dangerous as regular cigarettes, the experts said the Centre and state have made efforts but clandestine online portals and dingy shops selling them in nooks and crannies across India's towns continue to function.

"Even if the advisory of the government asks states to curb the sale of e-cigarettes in their jurisdiction, it is very difficult to keep a check at the ground level if the sale is happening through small vendors," Dr P C Gupta, director of HEALIS-Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health, Mumbai, told PTI.

"There is need for a special mechanism by the government to keep a tab on the vendors from time to time, he added.

On March 12, the Central Drug Standard Control Organisation wrote to all drug controllers in states and Union territories to not allow the manufacture, sale, import and advertisement of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems, including e-cigarettes and flavoured hookahs, in their jurisdictions.

The move was in concert with several other organisations.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, too, proposed an amendment to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines) Rules 2018 to ban the advertisement of e-cigarettes.

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs also issued a circular recently, directing that all import consignments of e-cigarettes must be cleared first by the drug controller.

There is no legislation to regulate the sale of e-cigarettes in the country, experts have said while calling for a blanket ban.

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