NEW DELHI, March 7: In the wake of a successful seizure of Chinese-made e-cigarettes by Noida Police, Mothers Against Vaping, a united front of proactive and concerned mothers and experts, emphasised on the need for sustained vigilance against the threat of e-cigarettes.
The Noida Police recently arrested smugglers and seized a significant quantity of Made in China e-cigarettes which were sourced from Nepal.
The consignment was allegedly destined for sale in Rohini, Delhi and surrounding areas.
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“We commend the government’s efforts to restrict the spread of new-age gateway devices like e-cigarettes, vapes, etc, through a slew of seizures on banned products. We hope these sustained heightened vigilance initiatives by enforcement agencies continue as it is necessary to safeguard children and youth of our country from these banned products,” the collective said in a statement.
In November 2023, a large consignment of e-cigarettes worth Rs 50 lakh coming from China was nabbed on the Khutar-Puranpur highway in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
Similarly, a seizure at Chennai airport in November last year involved the confiscation of 11,700 e-cigarettes worth Rs 3.5 crore coming from China.
The easy accessibility and glamorisation of these new-age gateway devices are luring youngsters into the trap of addictive behaviours, Dr Rajesh Gupta, Additional Director, Pulmonology and Critical Care, Fortis Healthcare, Noida, said.
“The actions taken by the police and the government are praiseworthy in terms of seizures and increased vigilance but at the same time, more needs to be done. While continued seizures are essential, there is an equally crucial need to raise awareness and emphasise the detrimental health effects of vaping,” he said.
“Manufacturers of these devices are specifically targeting our youth, making it imperative to spread awareness that vaping is not cool and extremely harmful. This message needs to permeate popular culture and one effective way to achieve this is by involving youth icons, celebrities and influencers as the faces of an anti-vaping movement,” he added.
According to the World Health Organization, the region is home to 280 million smokeless tobacco users, constituting nearly 77 per cent of the global smokeless tobacco user population.
To curb the use of these new-age devices, efforts should address both the demand and supply sides, said Dr Bhavna Barmi, Clinical Psychologist and Founder, Happiness Studio.
She said the seizures target the supply side, but the government should also explore penalties for the use of these new-age gateway devices.
Implementing penalties under the PECA law for vaping and use of e-Cigarettes can instil fear among users and their parents, contributing to a reduction in the usage of these devices, said Dr Barmi.
The Indian government has been proactive in banning e-cigarettes and has taken decisive action by prohibiting e-cigarettes and similar new-age gateway devices through the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarette Act (PECA) 2019. (PTI)
