India to Fully Ban E-Cigarettes to Curb Growth of Potential Smokers

According to a report from India’s New Delhi Television on the 18th, Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated that a ban will be imposed on the production, manufacturing, import, export, transportation, sale, storage, and advertising of e-cigarettes in India.

Sitharaman indicated that considering the impact of e-cigarettes on public health, especially on the health of young people, a decree will be issued to completely ban e-cigarettes. Discussing the harms of e-cigarettes, Sitharaman cited data from the United States, stating that the usage of e-cigarettes among students has increased by 77.8%, and surprisingly, the proportion of middle school students using e-cigarettes has risen by 48.5%. Currently, nearly 3 million people in the U.S. regularly use e-cigarettes, a ninefold increase compared to data from 2011 to 2016. India has over 100 million smokers, making it the second-largest smoking population in the world, and the ban on e-cigarettes is also aimed at controlling the growth of potential smokers.

The significant increase in respiratory diseases caused by e-cigarettes and the related death incidents have frequently appeared in media reports. Currently, many countries are considering banning e-cigarettes, with New York State becoming the first region in the U.S. to issue a ban on the sale of flavored e-cigarettes.