No more vapes in India? Govt all set to ban e-cigarettes and e-hookahs

'Asking for a ban on e-cigarettes and not cigarettes or 'beedis' would mean asking for a ban on a less harmful nicotine delivery system while allowing a more harmful one free market availability'

Going tough on Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), including e-cigarettes, the health ministry has proposed to classify such alternative smoking devices as "drugs" under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, in a bid to ban their manufacture, sale, distribution and import.

According to official sources, the proposal has been approved by the Drug Technical Advisory Board (DTAB), the government's top advisory body on technical matters related to medicines in the country.

The move comes amid a raging debate over the harm-reduction aspects of ENDS.

Some organisations claim that these devices help in smoking cessation and are less harmful alternatives to traditional