Tobacco is among the leading threats to public health in India. Between 1998 and 2015, the number of smokers in India increased from 79 million to 108 million. At present, fourteen percent of adults use smoking tobacco. 25.9 percent of adults use smokeless tobacco. Although fewer Indians are using tobacco today than at the start […]
tobacco
Doctors’ concerns over e-cigarette ban
A fixture of the public health crisis since the announcement of the Government of India’s e-cigarette ban has been the expression of doctors’ concerns – and a number have been expressed since the ban was announced. Doctors’ concerns have been collated in a NewsVoir piece circulated by multiple outlets. “There is data available regarding e-cigarettes […]
Rajya Sabha MPs approve e-cigarette ban
The Government of India’s ban on e-cigarettes has won the approval of Rajya Sabha MPs, who passed legislation prohibiting the devices earlier this week amidst appeals over their negative effects on public health. The upper house of the Indian Parliament passed the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and […]
A cigarette ban: Could it happen in India? NGOs are working to make it a reality.
Two non-government organisations (NGOs) are in the process of moving an appeal before the Supreme Court for India to enact a cigarette ban, in the wake of the Government’s prohibition of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). Vaping became illegal in India in September with the promulgation of an ordinance by the Union Government, which has […]
Infertility in men higher than in women
At a recent conference in Visakhapatnam, experts have said that infertility in men is more widespread than the condition is in women in India – and warned that it too often goes overlooked. Between ten and fourteen percent of Indians are affected by infertility according to the Indian Society of Assisted Reproduction, with 27.5 million […]
Smoking in public: Is a ban on the cards in Goa?
A ban on smoking in public places is on the cards in Goa, according to state health minister Vishwajit Rane. “We are committed to making Goa tobacco-free,” Rane said. “For that we need to ban smoking in public places. The government will identify smoking zones in the state. Violators will be punished heavily.” Smoking is […]
More women are smoking in Hyderabad – and lung cancer cases are on the rise
In 2018, lung cancer killed 18,112 women in India with 19,097 new cases diagnosed among them. In Telangana, where cancer cases have sharply increased since 1990, state capital Hyderabad offers a warning sign to women who use tobacco: the majority of lung cancer cases in the city occur among women who smoke. According to a […]
Pan masala brands: Centre urged to act
The Centre is under pressure from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to ban certain pan masala brands which contain magnesium carbonate and/or nicotine. Pan masala, a chewing mixture which sometimes contains tobacco, has come under fire across the country. Numerous states have taken steps to ban certain brands. In Rajasthan, state […]
Decision to ban e-cigarettes praised by WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) has praised India’s decision to ban e-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), as it follows in the footsteps of other southeast Asian nations. India banned the devices earlier this week, with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman citing growing usage among young people and public health as being among […]
E-cigarette ban comes into force: Boon or bane in the War on Tobacco?
An e-cigarette ban has finally been implemented in India, after the Centre has worked towards it for more than a year. An executive order banning electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) was approved by the Union Cabinet and an ordinance sent to President Ram Nath Kovind. The prohibition is likely to be introduced during the next […]