Bharatiya Kisan Union seeks ban on e-cigarettes and vaping devices

International News

The Bharatiya Kisan Union has become the latest farmers’ group to demand a complete ban on e-cigarettes and
vaping devices,The ban on electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), commonly known as e-cigarettes, has been pushed by the health ministry since 2018.
“If e-cigarettes or ENDS are allowed in India, it will have a devastating effect on tobacco farmers. The main reason is that e-cigarette companies trying to open shops in India are of foreign origin and do not use Indian tobacco. In fact, the countries that these e-cigarettes belong to, such as the US, have also banned them,” the Bharatiya Kisan Union said on Wednesday.
The ban on manufacture, sale, and trading of e-cigarettes reportedly includes penal provisions going up to a maximum of three years in jail, and fine up to Rs 5 lakh for sale, manufacture, and even possession.
E-cigarette makers have criticised the move for being too heavy-handed. “A selective campaign unleashed by the Ministry of Health, which refused to afford even five minutes of time to our 15 representations over two months, is indicative of the pre-meditated moves on this issue,” said Praveen Rikhy, Convenor of TRENDS — the trade body representing importers, distributors and marketers of ENDS in India.

 Overall, more than 30 countries have banned these e-cigarettes/ENDS and other countries are planning to ban them. Tobacco growing countries like Thailand, Nepal, Brazil, Mexico, Sri Lanka have also banned ENDS to save the livelihoods of their farmers.The Federation of All India Farmer Associations (FAIFA) has also said not banning e-cigarettes would be catastrophic for local tobacco farmers.“Extraction of nicotine from tobacco for products such as ENDS happens largely outside India, from tobacco grown in other countries...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.