Indian Vaping Association to Launch Legal Challenge Against E-Cigarette Ban

The World Vaping Association published a commentary titled "India: How Far Can the E-Cigarette Ban Go?" on its official website, pointing out that India's smoking policy deprives 270 million tobacco users in India of their right to access safer nicotine alternatives.

On October 12, the World Vaping Association published a commentary titled "India: How Far Can the E-Cigarette Ban Go?" on its official website, pointing out that India's smoking policy deprives 270 million tobacco users in India of their right to access safer nicotine alternatives.

The article states that the Indian Ministry of Health recently clarified that owning e-cigarettes is strictly prohibited. Even more inhumane is that the relevant authorities have launched a portal where citizens can report their fellow citizens for violating this law (owning e-cigarettes) and can even track them during the investigation.   

The Indian Vaping Association is consulting legal experts to understand whether the authorities can reinterpret government policy (prohibiting the ownership of e-cigarettes), especially criminalizing millions of Indians trying to quit smoking through e-cigarettes. If necessary, the Indian Vaping Association will support a legal challenge to this new interpretation.

The World Vaping Association calls on the Indian government to reconsider the ineffective e-cigarette ban and to develop a practical harm reduction strategy that respects adult consumers' choices, allowing them to switch to less harmful alternatives, thereby greatly improving public health in the country.