BACKGROUND AND IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES: The Govt. of India, considering the harmful effects of electronic cigarette and the alarming rise in its prevalence amongst youth, prohibited the production, manufacture, import, export, transport, sale, distribution, storage and advertisement, of electronic cigarettes which included all forms of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems, Heat Not Burn Products, e-Hookah and the like devices in the year 2019.Despite a ban on Electronic cigarettes by the Government of India in 2019, E-cigarettes were easily available in tobacco shops and are sold to children below 18 years of age.
INTERVENTION OR RESPONSE: A survey was conducted in seven states of India (Delhi, Assam, Goa, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana) in February 2023 to check the compliance of E-cigarette ban. A rapid survey and sample collection was done to ascertain evidences of the violation of E-cigarette ban wherein shops/vendors were randomly selected for the investigation. The survey was conducted and evidence was gathered through both online and offline modes. The field investigators observed the availability of E-cigarettes, verification of age, checked on the awareness on E-cigarette ban among vendors and subsequent penalties in case found guilty among other observations.
RESULTS AND IMPACT: E-cigarettes were easily available in tobacco shops and were sold to anybody without any age verification.
E-cigarettes got delivered within 1-2 days when ordered online (through E-commerce websites, exclusive vape websites, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook or other social media sites) and were being sold without any age verification.
While ordering online, a few websites asked for age verification which merely required ticking a checkbox asking whether 18 years or above.
CONCLUSIONS: The enforcement on E-cigarette ban has been weak, resulting in market being flooded with cheap and unbranded Chinese make E-cigarettes. Thus, a coordinated effort at the Central and State level, Govt. of India is urgently needed to ensure the ban is effective