Context: According to WHO’s first global estimate of e-cigarette use (2024), teenagers are nine times more likely to vape than adults, raising major public health concerns worldwide.
About E-Cigarettes:
- E-cigarettes are battery-operated devices that heat a liquid into an inhalable aerosol.
- The liquid typically contains nicotine, propylene glycol, glycerin, flavouring agents, and other chemicals.
- Known as vape pens, ENDS (Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems), or ENNDS (Electronic Non-Nicotine Delivery Systems).
- Though they may not contain tobacco, they often deliver addictive nicotine doses similar to conventional cigarettes.
WHO’s Key Findings (2024):
- 15 million teenagers (13–15 yrs) use e-cigarettes globally.
- Youth are 9× more likely to vape than adults.
- Total vapers: over 100 million, including 86 million adults (mostly in high-income nations).
- Tobacco use declined from 1.38 billion (2000) → 1.2 billion (2024).
- Regional trends:
- Southeast Asia: Male tobacco use fell from 70% → 37% (2000–2024).
- Europe: Now the highest tobacco prevalence (24.1%) globally.
Legal Framework in India:
The Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act, 2019
- Complete Ban: Prohibits production, import, export, transport, sale, distribution, storage, and advertisement of e-cigarettes.
- Penalties:
- Manufacture/sale/advertisement → Imprisonment up to 1 year or ₹1 lakh fine (first offence); up to 3 years or ₹5 lakh (repeat offence).
- Storage → Up to 6 months jail or ₹50,000 fine.
- Exemption: Permitted only for research and testing purposes.
Implementation Challenges in India:
- Online Accessibility: Over 60% of e-cigarette products remain available on e-commerce platforms (Voluntary Health Association of India, 2023).
- Youth Appeal: Flavoured variants and influencer marketing target adolescents.
- Lack of Support Systems: Only 1 in 5 tobacco users has access to quitting support or therapy (GATS 2022).
- Product Evasion: New disposable or flavoured devices enter India through unregulated channels.
Way Forward:
Digital Surveillance: Deploy AI-based systems to monitor illegal online sales (like the EU’s Track & Trace model).
Youth Awareness: Launch anti-vaping campaigns under the National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP)—similar to New Zealand’s Vape-Free Schools.
Quit Support Expansion: Strengthen helplines like mCessation, which has helped over 3 million users attempt quitting.
Inter-Agency Coordination: Form a Nicotine Product Enforcement Task Force involving MoHFW, IT Ministry, and Customs.