36% Of Students Taught Dangers Of Tobacco Use: Health Ministry Responds To E-cigarette Query
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday said that the government enacted a law in 2019 prohibiting cigarettes and issued a notice regarding the same to the Union Territories (UT)s and all states aiming to prevent the youth from the adverse impact of using electronic cigarettes. The government was responding to a question posed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Sangeeta Yadav regarding the efforts taken by the government to ensure the implementation of the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import) Act in the last four years.
Citing a study that showed 89 per cent of the children in the age group of 14 to 17 years were not aware of the harmful impact of vaping and Electronic Cigarettes, the MP had asked about the efforts the government has made to make youth aware of the health risk of vaping. The government in its reply said that the Fourth round of the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS-4), 2019 conducted by its Ministry revealed that 36% of the students between 13–15 years old were taught in schools about the dangers and harmful effects of tobacco use.
Regarding the question on the government’s effort to enforce the ban, the statement said that it issued a public notice for effective compliance with the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and Advertisement) Act, 2019. The statement further said that the enforcement lies with the state and Union Territories.
Though the law prohibited the possession of electronic cigarettes and similar devices, E-cigarettes are reported to be widely available in the market. According to the World Health Organization (WGO), a total of 27% of India’s population uses tobacco, constituting the world’s largest tobacco market.
A study conducted by researchers from The George Institute for Global Health stated, “Despite a complete ban, young people are still able to access e-cigarettes in India. Greater education about harms associated with vaping and more intensive monitoring and enforcement could assist in reducing uptake in relatively high-prevalence groups such as educated young adults.” However, the complete ban as some other countries have also done is expected to reduce the use of E-cigarettes if enforced properly
