What Are E-Cigarettes? A Look At Why They Are Banned in India As Anurag Thakur Accuses TMC MPs Of Smoking Them Inside Parliament

With the ongoing hot exchanges between the treasury and the opposition in the Winter Session of Parliament, BJP, on Thursday, December 11, claimed that a Trinamool Congress MP was smoking an e-cigarette, or a vape, in the Lok Sabha premises.

Without mentioning the Trinamool member, BJP MP Anurag Thakur brought the matter to the attention of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and urged him to note the infraction.

He explained that this is to inform the House that e-cig is prohibited in the country. My question to the Speaker of Lok Sabha is whether he has allowed e-cigarettes to be smoked in the House. A TMC MP smokes e-cigarettes in the days that he has been sitting in the Lok Sabha.

Om Birla replied with some strength and claimed that there is neither a rule nor a precedent under which any Member of Parliament can smoke in the House. 

Om Birla said that in case such an incident is reported to my attention in a clear way; then, I will take the right course of action.

What are e-cigarettes?

Electronic cigarettes are devices that eventually heat a liquid to produce an aerosol which the user inhales. The nicotine, flavouring agents and other chemicals are normally present in the liquid.

The e-cigarettes do not burn tobacco as is the case of traditional cigarettes, but provide nicotine, which is an addictive substance, and expose the user to harmful substances.

They have been sold as a much safer option to smoking although health experts are warning that they pose a great danger and particularly to the youths.

E-cigarette ban in India

In India, there were fears as the consumption of e-cigarettes among adolescents and young adults increased at a high rate.

Health officials claimed that such gadgets would breed a new breed of nicotine-addicted consumers and reverse the effects of cutting down tobacco use.

There were also reports of toxic substances in vapour generated by the e-cigarettes and scarcity of research studies on their health impact in the long term. 

Consequences of smoking e-cigarettes in India

India banned e-cigarettes throughout the country in September 2019. Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act declared that it was illegal to produce, manufacture, import, export, transport, sell, distribute and advertise the use of e-cigarettes.

Their possession and use were also discouraged, but personal consumption was not criminalised as were trade and distribution. The government attributed the ban to preventive health care to safeguard the health of the population.

According to the legislation any person caught selling or distributing could face fines and imprisonment. Governments have made a few crackdowns to confiscate the devices and halt online sales.

Although illegal trade is no longer permitted in certain areas of the country, the country is still engaged in the illicit trade and this has led to health officials constantly issuing warnings regarding the danger of using e-cigarettes. 

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