E-cigarette lobby group wants Karnataka to lift ban on its use

BENGALURU: The e-cigarette ban imposed by Karnataka will hurt 1.8 crore smokers in the State, according to Association of Vapers India (AVI), a nonprofit that favours use of vapor products and electronic cigarettes to help smokers quit.

E-cigarettes are electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and their use is also known as vaping.

Karnataka’s Health & Family Welfare department had, by a circular on June 15, 2016, said sale, manufacturing and distribution of e-cigarettes had been banned as they contained nicotine with propylene glycol as main ingredient. Its use could cause heart disease, and respiratory diseases, the circular said.

Karnataka is a tobacco industry hub and according to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS), 22.8% of adults in the state use tobacco in some form and it stands at 11th in the country in tobacco use prevalence, the Association said in a press release.

Association director Samrat Chowdhery said, “Banning their (e-cigarettes) use while allowing cigarettes to be sold violates basic principles of public health; (it) protects the tobacco industry and criminalises citizens who are trying to avoid tobacco-related death and disease.”

The press released quoted Dr. Aparajeet Kar, consultant pulmonologist, Narayana Health, Bengaluru, saying:, “E-cigarettes produce aerosol by using a battery to heat a solution of nicotine and flavouring agents. Since they don’t burn tobacco, there is no tar or carbon monoxide produced.”