The Narendra Modi-led government is likely to bring an ordinance to prohibit the manufacture and sale of e-cigarettes in India. Twelve states in India have already banned its use even as there is no such blanket ban on beedis and cigarettes.
ThePrint asks: Why the clamour to ban e-cigarettes in India when cigarettes and beedis are allowed?
Side effects of e-cigarettes have not been studied much and can potentially be a lot more harmful
Rajiv Mehta
Psychiatrist (specialising in de-addiction), Ganga Ram Hospital
It is important to understand that what is wrong is wrong. Moreover, the fact of the matter is that e-cigarettes contain nicotine. People say that they are safer than traditional cigarettes, but in reality, they are just less dangerous, not completely safe.
One must also realise that studies and research on beedis and cigarettes are conducted regularly, so one knows exactly what is in them and how harmful they are. However, the possible effects of e-cigarettes have not been studied adequately and one doesn’t know exactly what their composition is. So, they can also potentially be a lot more harmful than we think as these are adulterated with heavy metals.
People believe when they smoke an e-cigarette, they are not consuming a recreational drug. This is a myth. A lot of nicotine that goes into the manufacturing of e-cigarettes, which are not even medically approved.
One must also understand that it is a lot more challenging to get cigarettes and beedis banned compared to e-cigarettes, as they have been a part of our society for far longer, and also help generate a huge amount of revenue.
Also read: Modi govt mulling options to enforce ban on e-cigarettes & e-nicotine flavoured hookah
Disturbing to see Indian govt kowtowing to US lobby group pushing for ban on tobacco
Praveen Rikhy
Convener of Trade Representatives of ENDS (e-cigarettes)
It is disturbing to note that the Modi government is on the verge of fulfilling the wishes of a powerful anti-tobacco lobby group based in the US, in letter and spirit.
This powerful lobby group led by a prominent US politician has funded over 50 NGOs in India to run anti-tobacco campaigns and has called for enacting policies that could endanger and snatch livelihoods of Indian farmers, without giving it a thought.
This lobby group had made it its objective to publicly oppose e-cigarettes and is pouring millions of dollars to achieve this. The sudden speed and enthusiasm of the health ministry to follow the agenda of this lobby group concerns us all as Indian consumers, traders, farmers — because we would rather prefer to make up our own minds about this product category.
After all, 69 countries have allowed e-cigarettes and developed regulations for its use. Why can’t India do the same?
This powerful group in the US has also allegedly funded state government health departments in India to the extent that one northern state was actually among the first to ban e-cigarettes the same year it got funds from this lobby group. One only has to scroll down the list of the lobby’s grantees to know the extent of its percolation and influence in the Indian NGO sector as well as government health departments.
Also read: Modi govt takes U-turn on e-cigarettes, says no plan to ban import
There is alarming evidence that vaping causes lung cancer; wholly endorse this ban
G.C. Khilnani
Chairman, PSRI Institute of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine
I was part of the Indian Council of Medical Research team that issued a white paper recommending a complete ban on e-cigarettes. I wholly endorse, attest and support this ban. Many consider e-cigarettes as de-addiction agents, but there is no evidence to corroborate this. Youngsters get hooked on these e-cigarettes.
There is evidence of nicotine in these e-cigarettes, and in some cases, deaths have been reported too — allegedly caused by these products. It has been found that e-cigarettes contain an extremely harmful chemical. There is also alarming evidence that vaping causes lung cancer.
Since nicotine is already available in other forms, such as nicotine patches and chewing gums, there is no need for e-cigarettes. It is also important to understand that while beedis and cigarettes are very harmful, they are part of our society. Banning them requires an intervention both at the administrative and political levels.
E-cigarette ban can eliminate an option for cigarette users seeking ways to either quit or reduce health risks
Derek Yach
President, Smoke-Free World
India has the widest range of ways tobacco to consume tobacco. The most common mode of consumption is smokeless tobacco products and beedis, which are responsible for 90 per cent of the almost 3,00,000 oral cancer deaths reported every year in India.
Users of these products include a majority of the rural population and the urban poor. Commercial or traditional cigarettes account for about 10-12 per cent of the total tobacco market, and are predominantly consumed by the wealthier urban population. Tobacco use causes more than a million deaths a year in India and considerable bad health and suffering.
The proposed ban by India’s health ministry on e-cigarettes if passed by the Union cabinet could eliminate an emerging option for cigarette users seeking ways to either quit or reduce their risks. It will not address the bigger needs of tobacco users. The move would also not eliminate the complex political and economic influences and parties that benefit from the current status quo. A ban on e-cigarettes in India, therefore, could distract attention from the more meaningful and urgent policymaking intervention and innovation that is required to benefit tobacco users.
One is free to make choices but unlike cigarettes, e-cigarettes don’t come with health warnings
Himani Chandna
Special correspondent, ThePrint
Just before you plan to buy an e-cigarette, think about the long-term side effects of vaping. Google it. But you might find nothing because no one knows yet.
It is not usual for a CEO of the world’s largest makers of e-cigarettes, Juul Labs, to acknowledge on camera that since the long-term effects of vaping are not known, one should not use his company’s products, or vape, especially if one is a non-smoker. But no one vouches for the safety of smokers. The brand promotes its products as an alternative to traditional cigarettes. But when asked if it was fair to say that Juul is safer than cigarettes, CEO Kevin Burns said, “I’m not gonna comment about where I am in terms of that.”
Make your own choices in life, but remember this: “A known enemy is better than an unknown new friend.”
We know the damage traditional cigarettes and beedis can cause. Smokers start smoking despite knowing that they are susceptible to lung, throat, mouth and other kinds of cancers. Here, they are at least warned. But in the case of e-cigarettes, there are no health warnings provided by the manufacturers.
CNN reported Thursday that a sixth person in the US died of a lung disease related to vaping, raising concerns about the safety of e-cigarettes. The US hasn’t yet found a definitive cause or the possible reasons behind such vaping-related deaths.
By Revathi Krishnan, journalist at ThePrint