Majority in age-group of 20-30 addicted to smoking in Dehi-NCR: Survey

International News

One out of every three persons in the age-group of 15-50 years in Delhi-NCR is addicted to smoking and around half of them are aged between 20 and 30, a recent survey has found.
The survey, 'Understanding Smoking Attitudes in Youth, conducted by Gurgaon-based Aviss Health Foundation also found that many of the youth resort to smoking to cope with work-related stress.According to the survey, 56 per cent of the 1,400 respondents thought that smoking helped them get relief from stress.
"The fact that educated youth are take up smoking just to cope with stress, speaks volumes about the lack of focus in outreach programs," Pulmonologist Dr Himanshu Garg, who led the survey, said.India is one of those countries in the world which is reeling under a huge burden of high mortality and morbidity linked with tobacco addiction. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), India is home to 12 per cent of world's tobacco smokers.
Despite knowing its addictive nature and harmful effects of smoking, a huge number of young people are still succumbing to its temptation, Dr Himanshu Garg said."While government policies in India have always been designed carefully around the targeted awareness programs, the survey figures indicate that it is time to sit-up and fine-tune our strategies to address the issue more effectively," Dr Prerana Garg, who heads the Aviss Foundation, said.

 Dr Nikita Jajodia, the head of research at Aviss Foundation, said policy makers need to develop evidence-based strategies which can bring structural changes, not only in terms of making stress management an integral part of higher education but also in jobs, especially in case of fresh recruits...Read More

Trade ministry memo says no legal basis to ban e-cigarette imports: Report

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Economy policy

India's trade ministry says it cannot impose a ban on electronic cigarette imports as there is no legal basis for doing so, an internal government memo viewed by Reuters shows, in a boost for those looking to tap into the country's growing vaping market

This comes amid repeated calls for a ban from the country's health ministry, which urged states and government agencies last year in an "advisory" to step up efforts to halt sales and imports, warning vaping devices pose a "great health risk".

The country has 106 million adult smokers, second only to China, making it a lucrative market for firms such U.S.-based Juul Labs and Philip Morris International that plan to launch e-smoking devices in the country.

India's Jubilant group, one of whose units has the franchisee for Domino's Pizza and Dunkin' Donuts outlets in the country, is already exploring importing Juul's vaping device, a company letter shows.
Halting imports of e-cigarettes into India will be against multilateral commitments with the World Trade Organization, according to the internal government memo dated March 18.
The country must first prohibit local sales through federal regulations that "can stand the scrutiny of law", the memo adds.

Once that is done, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) can announce an "import ban", the memo said.


 As of now, the health ministry's "advisory" cannot be a legal basis for a ban, the trade ministry, which has the power to impose import bans, said in the memo that is not yet public.The DGFT did not respond to a request for comment.