AMN / NEW DELHI
Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan today introduced a bill to prohibit the production, manufacture, import, export, transport, sale, distribution, storage and advertisement of electronic cigarettes. He said, this has been done to protect the people from harmful effects of e-cigarettes.
Home Ministry on 20th of November issued an order to all states and UTs, enabling law enforcement officials to conduct searches on-premises for the product without a warrant.
The Union Cabinet in September had approved an ordinance to ban production, import, distribution and sale of electronic cigarettes. The decision was taken considering impact of e-cigarettes on the youth.
A punishment of one-year imprisonment and a fine of one lakh rupees have been proposed for first-time offenders. The storage of e-cigarettes is punishable with imprisonment of up to six months or a fine of up to 50 thousand rupees or both.
E-cigarettes are the most common form of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems.
These are basically devices that do not burn or use tobacco leaves. Instead, they vaporise a solution using a battery. This vapour is then inhaled by the user.
Recent studies have shown that e-cigarettes are not at all a safe alternative for tobacco and it can cause respiratory complications and also long term complications.