India’s authorities are anti-electronic cigarettes, but its people aren’t

Vaping is facing opposition from many quarters in India despite sufficient and mounting evidence it is a far safer alternative to smoking combustible cigarettes. Being a developing country with a struggling public healthcare system and massive tobacco health burden of over a million tobacco-related deaths every year, India could do well to adopt preventive measures in the form of tobacco harm reduction.

However, a deadly combination of misinformation and vested interests is pulling the country towards prohibition. Six states have banned electronic cigarettes under state laws, while the federal government has publicly declared its intention to follow suit with a national ban.

This has suppressed adoption, but the number of smokers switching to vaping continues to rise and will keep increasing, although at a slower rate, irrespective of the regulatory developments as people are now more health conscious and driven to lead healthier lives. Currently, there are estimated to be around 260,000 (source: GATS 2) vapers in the country.

In the following sections, we have put together extensive information to aid deeper understanding of the vaping situation in India. Please write to us at contact@vapeindia.org for queries and inputs.

Further reading: http://vaping360.com/fighting-india-vaping-ban/