Rising Trend of Illicit e-Cigarette Trade in India

Jul.29.2024
Rising Trend of Illicit e-Cigarette Trade in India
350 cases of e-cigarette violations have been reported in India since 2022, raising concerns about the thriving black market.

According to Mint news, data from the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare's Tobacco Control Office shows that there have been 350 cases of e-cigarette violations since 2022. Despite India's ban on the use of e-cigarettes under the 2019 Prohibition of E-cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage, and Advertising) Act, these data reveal a potential issue: e-cigarettes are flourishing in the black market.


Specific data indicates that there were 44 cases of misconduct in the current fiscal year (from April 1, 2024, to present), compared to 263 cases in the previous fiscal year.


The electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS), also known as an e-cigarette, is a battery-operated device used to inhale a selected solution containing varying levels of nicotine, an addictive chemical found in tobacco products.


A white paper released by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in 2019 pointed out that e-cigarettes, especially when used by infants, have adverse effects on the cardiovascular system, disrupt respiratory and immune cell functions, and damage the airways, similar to the effects of cigarette smoking.


The group Mothers Against Vaping revealed to Mint that they are concerned about their teenage children. Paralympic athlete and member of Mothers Against Vaping, Deepa Malik, expressed:


Banning e-cigarettes is the strategy that India needs. The ban should be strictly enforced to suppress any lobbying that may weaken it. We need children to engage in sports activities to make India proud, rather than succumb to new addictions and lose their future.


Currently, the government has issued a total of 14,795 fines under Section 6 of the 2003 Tobacco and Other Smoking Products Act for selling cigarettes and other tobacco products to individuals under the age of 18.


According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), around 30 countries including Mauritius, Australia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Brazil, Mexico, Uruguay, Bahrain, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have banned Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS).


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