“According to Samrat Chowdhery the impact of ban of e-cigarettes in India has been counter productive. With country already facing the healthcare burden the ban on harm reduction alternative has further deteriorated the situation. Prohibition has rarely worked as a measure against preventing use, and comes with unintended consequences, which in the case of India’s e-cigarette ban is also the removal of safeguards to inhibit access for minors who are now being served by a black market and in the absence of self-regulation from a legal industry. Bidis, the most used smoking product and by far the deadliest, which cause nearly a million deaths annually, are hardly taxed and were recently exempt even from pictorial warnings. Prohibition of e-cigarettes, which have proven to be twice as effective than gums in helping smokers quit and can be made at price points even bidi smokers can afford, has further dented efforts to assist Indians in mitigating risks from tobacco use. Given the negative health and economic impact of the e-cigarette ban, and the growing tobacco epidemic in India, a course-correction is much needed.”
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Q&A: Does India’s e-cigarette ban do more harm than good?
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