As the Indian government bans e-cigarettes with the help of an ordinance, doctors welcome the move saying it will influence the younger generation away from the very habit of smoking
Bengaluru: Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the banning of e-cigarettes or electronic cigarettes. The government will promulgate an ordinance in this regard and later the issue will be broached on the floor of the parliament in the winter session.
She said, “The Union Cabinet has given approval to ban e-cigarettes. It means the production, manufacturing, import/export, transport, sale, distribution, storage and advertising related to e-cigarettes are banned.”
The move is as an attempt to digress people from the very act of smoking. And doctors say the reasons behind them are good enough.
Puneeth Nagendra, a pulmonologist says, “Yes, it is the right thing. Someone who has not smoked a cigarette can get a feeling that it is innocuous to smoke electronic cigarettes. And as they smoke, chances are high they can graduate into smoking conventional cigarettes.”
He adds, “It all starts with a fanciful idea. Later, it becomes an addiction. There are a lot of studies done internationally which say they are causing more harm. So it is a good move.”
In fact, in 2015, The American Thoracic Society called for a tighter regulation on the on use of e-cigarettes as the instances of use by children had considerably risen.
The government has banned them based on the reasons that that it causes the same harmful effects as the normal cigarettes, but advocates of e-cigarettes argue that they are less harmful and provide a good substitute.
When MyNation caught with smokers and sought their opinions on the matter, many refused to appear before the camera. But two did appear. Here is what they had to say:
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