With an aim to curb use of tobacco products, sale of loose cigarettes might soon be banned in India. A special standing committee of the parliament is currently working on the do’s and don’t’s of the process. Reports state that ahead of the Union Budget 2023-24, Finance Minister – Nirmala Sitharaman will announce the ban.
As per the National Library of Medicine research, more than 1 million adults die each year in India due to tobacco consumption, accounting for 9.5% of overall deaths.
Delhi High Court has prohibited manufacturing and sale of e-cigarettes around schools and colleges
Following uproar from the petitioners, Delhi High Court has directed authorities to take all possible actions to ensure compliance of prohibiting manufacture, sale and distribution of e-cigarettes. Additionally, police shall take steps to ensure that e-cigarettes are not sold near and around schools and colleges. As a part of this, periodic checks and raids will be carried out by officialdom under the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and Advertisement) Act, 2019.
According to the report of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), it has been concluded that e-cigarettes are extremely harmful as they cause damage to the DNA.
