Having done well in the field of tobacco control, in general, Punjab has shown the way to end the ‘Electronic Nicotine Delivery System’ (ENDS) devices, including e-cigarettes, by adopting proactive approach to check its availability in the State.
Punjab has probably become the first in the country where e-cigarettes seller has been indicted under Drugs and Cosmetics Act. “In a much-awaited judgement, the District Court Mohali (SAS Nagar), Punjab, has set an example by imposing three-year rigorous imprisonment and Rs one lakh fine for selling e-cigarettes which are ENDS devices,” said Punjab Principal Secretary (Health) Vini Mahajan.
One e-cigarette with eight cartridges were recovered from a crockery shop in SAS Nagar, in July 2014, by Mohali Drug Inspector as a member of district level task force. A case, registered under Section 18 (c) punishable under Section 27 (b) (ii), Section 18 A punishable under Section 28 and Section 18 (a) (i) punishable under Section 27 (d) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940/Rules 1945, was fought vociferously by the state Food and Drug Administration.
“The measures undertaken by Punjab government to curb this latest menace were appreciated at national and international levels in National Conference on Tobacco or Health-2014 in Mumbai and World lungs Conference, 2015, in Cape Town, South Africa,” she said.
Punjab FDA Commissioner Hussan lal said that e-cigarettes have ushered a so-called ‘No Smoking Revolution’, becoming a fad today especially among the youth.
“They are marketed as a healthy substitute to cigarettes. There are a lot of misconceptions about their potential benefits but all this is farce,” he said.
He further told that we issued a health advisory which says that “It has been observed that there is a lot of misinformation about e-cigarettes. That is why citizens are advised to avoid the use of e-cigarettes and keep them away from children of all ages.”
Recently, a DO letter has also been sent by him to Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to impress upon departments like Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Department of Information and Technology, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to ensure that online sites do not sell e-cigarettes.
Punjab director health services Dr HS Bali said that Department of Health and Family Welfare, through State Tobacco Control Cell, is actively involved in curbing the menace of e-cigarettes. Studies find a significant rise in e-cigarette use each year, especially among young adults and teens, he said.