E-cigarette ban to support tobacco lobby: Vapers

BENGALURU: With the Centre issuing an advisory to all states on banning e-cigarettes on August 28, the Association of Vapers’ India (AVI), a consumer advocacy group representing vapers and smokers, has strongly condemned the move, calling it indirect support to the tobacco lobby.

“E-cigarettes are far less harmful than combustible tobacco cigarettes. While in Karnataka, there has been a ban on e-cigarettes, the government has not been able to control sale via online modes,” the association pointed out.



AVI director Samrat Chowdhery questioned the rationale behind the Centre’s advisory to ban e-cigarettes. “How is India going to fight the tobacco menace if smokers are denied safer alternatives? The central government is protecting the tobacco industry and pushing smokers towards death,” he said.

“E-cigarettes too contain

nicotine

like tobacco cigarettes. But they do not produce tar and toxic chemicals that cause most tobacco-related deaths across the world. According to some globally renowned studies, e-cigarettes are 95% less harmful compared to combustible cigarettes. They also help in quitting smoking,” Chowdhery added. AVI is mulling challenging the health ministry’s advisory in Supreme Court.

Karnataka banned the production, distribution, sale (including online sale), export and promotion of nicotine in any form, including cartridges containing nicotine and Electronic Nicotine Delivery System (ENDS), in 2016.

“The tobacco lobby is too big for the government to control and hence the ban on e-cigarettes. What the authorities don’t understand is that many of us started using e-cigarettes to overcome the addiction,” said a 24-year-old Bengalurean.

“The advisory issued by the Centre will be examined. However, there is already a ban on e-cigarettes in Karnataka. They are equally harmful and hence the ban,” said senior officials at the Drugs Controllers office, under whose purview e-cigarettes fall.

However, health department officials admit they have no control over online sale. “Cybercrime police have to follow it up if there is an online transaction of a banned substance,” they said.

‘

E-cigarette

not nicotine displacement’

According to Dr US Vishal Rao, member of the high-power committee on prevention of tobacco products, e-cigarette is as harmful as a regular one. “What is required is nicotine displacement therapy and not

nicotine replacement therapy

. It’s false propaganda to say that people turn to e-cigarettes to overcome smoking addiction. Then e-cigarettes should have been used with doctor’s prescription and for not more than a couple of weeks. Nicotine enters the body with e-cigarettes and causes a new form of addiction. In fact, e-cigarette users go back to conventional smoking. There are studies proving the same,” he explained.

“Do we accept heroin or cocaine if they come in the liquid form via an electronic device? E-cigarette was introduced in such a way that it doesn’t come under IT Act or Drugs and Cosmetics Act,” he added.

Only a fraction of risk: UK govt study
As per a UK government-sponsored study published in February 2018, e-cigarettes could contribute to at least 20,000 people quitting per year. The study also mentioned that “vaping poses only a small fraction of the risks of smoking. Switching completely from smoking to vaping conveys substantial health benefits.” The report added that vaping poses negligible risk to bystanders. The study raised concerns over half of smokers either falsely believing that vaping is as harmful as smoking or just remaining ignorant.