On World No Tobacco Day, when countries are pressed into performing, the Union Ministry of Health has directed OTT platforms to run anti-tobacco health spots and warnings, notifying the amended rules under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2004. However, e-cigarettes, or vaporisers, or vapes that contain nicotine, a tobacco extract, do not fall under the rule.
In India, the Union Government banned the import, manufacture, and sale of vapes in 2019, prompted by both health and safety concerns (with vapes exploding). Despite this, many made-in-China disposable single-use devices and refillable ones are brought into the country through the black market, routed through a third country. They are openly sold in city stores, and the government has issued additional advisories, with the most recent one in May, to warn vape sellers and users of the consequences of flouting the ban.
A study, ‘E-cigarettes: A continuing public health challenge in India despite comprehensive bans’, published this year in Preventive Medicine Reports, found that “Those with higher levels of education are among those most likely to vape.” Of the 840 tertiary-educated young adults who were surveyed, 8% were found to be dual users of e-cigarettes and tobacco, but 31% were curious about using them and 23% said they would try them the following year.
