E-cigarettes Create Jitters Among Health Watchers, Policy Makers

Having faced the threat of losing a lot of its population to cancer and other related fatal health conditions, India had just begun to ‘breathe easy’ when the news struck. According to a study by national representative case control in 2010, over 1 million deaths happened due to smoking in India.

A country that has been proactive in implementing the ban on smoking in public, is now facing a new intruder. The dreaded e-cigarette, which is currently threatening to undo all the good work that a solid legislation against tobacco had achieved, has already entered the country and may soon have a solid footing here in India.

But where are these e-cigarettes coming from? The neighbouring China, of course!

These attractive-looking long sticks, resembling some kind of shamanistic tools, are probably the worst news India is facing now. Electrical cigarettes are increasingly used by youngsters as a ‘safer’ alternative to regular cigarettes. This product, which does not adhere to any safety standard set by the Food Safety Standard Act of India (2006), has been banned in only two states. But other states are yet to wake up to its dangers as these are over-the-counter products and are freely available at all malls that sell imported stuff.

What’s more, it is rumoured that even Bollywood starlet Sonam Kapoor did an ad for this product, which was scrapped later.

This small gadget, which looks innocent and even fairly harmless with its shimmering red tip, contains liquid nicotine and may easily cause serious health hazards. The device mimics the real act of smoking by producing hot vapour with the flavour of smoke. A circuit to produce heat is embedded within an e-cigarette, which vaporises the glycerine-based liquid solution upon inhaling. This ‘alternative’ to cigarettes is primarily meant to deliver pure nicotine, which is present in tobacco-based cigarettes, too, but in camouflaged form.

The west is already battling the e-cigarette mania and the number of people being poisoned by e-cigarettes has gone up considerably in the recent years. In fact, the number of calls to emergency services reporting e-cigarette poisoning in the US went up from 1 per month in September 2010 to 215 per month in February 2014.

And it is just a matter of time before India catches up with the US in this respect. Currently, the market for e-cigarettes seems to be piping hot. As far as the numbers go, more people smoke in India today as against five years ago. Around 110 million Indians are confirmed smokers although the number of male smokers had gone down to 2.8% from 3.2% in the past. However, more women are smoking nowadays and the situation is becoming increasingly alarming. India had around 12.1 million smokers in 2012, compared to 5.3 million in 1980s.

Indian women are only second to the US in reaching out to the cancer stick. Now, with e-cigarettes entering the Indian market, this convenience product not only eases the nicotine craving, it also does not leave a trace in the air and it isn’t difficult to dispose like the conventional cigarettes.

Looking at the numbers, you will find that the IT superpower, which provides top-notch technical services to big corporate houses all over the globe, is also home to 12% of the world’s smokers. For a country that takes pride in its youth and the vibrancy they bring to its democracy and economy, it is, indeed, a disturbing phenomenon. Nearly 275 million of India’s 1.2 billion-strong population are at high risk due to the consumption of nicotine and tobacco-related products that often result into killer diseases like cancer. The country banned the use of tobacco products, with a strong legislation against smoking in public places in 2008.

But the attempts to save the country’s youth from falling prey to this deadly habit, can be easily undone by a convenient gadget called e-cigarette. Incidentally, smokers have easy access to these gadgets and need not rush out to buy them every time the craving sets in.

Efforts to curb smoking have just started to pay off with reduced tobacco consumption, fewer licences to tobacco growers and ban on smoking in public to restrain those who simply lit up in anyone’s face, unmindful of the discomfort and health hazards. But it may still take a long time to wean them off the nicotine sticks.

While the government is yet to take effective steps, India's national carrier, Air India, had been selling e-cigarettes on-board and that too, at ‘reduced’ prices. It is bound to create an embarrassing situation and the Indian Health Ministry has already complained to the Civil Aviation Ministry.

With no laws regulating sales of e-cigarettes, the central government now plans to come out with a legislation that will prohibit sales of these electronic inhalers, which are freely available online, apart from being sold at shops in big cities. Although e-cigarettes were originally developed as smoking-cessation devices, they turned into consumer commodities with no health regulations attached to them. Currently, India allows sale of 2 mg and 4 mg nicotine patches, which are sold legally to those who want to kick the butt.

The government is well aware of the fact that these products are being pushed by tobacco companies that have suffered due to smoking and tobacco ban across the country. But suitable legislation could well complete the picture of saving the youth from the claws of death.