India banned the production, import and sale of electronic cigarettes on Wednesday, a public health decision that will dash the expansion plans of companies such as Juul Labs and Philip Morris International in the country.
Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said in a tweet that possession of e-cigarettes or similar devices will be punishable by up to six months in prison, a fine of 50,000 rupees or both."Considering the seriousness of the impact of e-cigarettes on the youth, the cabinet has approved an ordinance to ban e-cigarettes," Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told a news conference.
India has 106 million adult smokers, second only to China in the world, making it a lucrative market for firms making e-cigarettes such as Juul and Philip Morris. Juul had plans to launch its e-cigarette in India and has hired several senior executives in recent months.Philip Morris also has plans to launch its heat-not-burn smoking device in India, Reuters has reported.
This is an absurd panic that will cost more lives than it will save.
But real tobacco is still legal? Run it past me again...
Tobacco companies have started their assault on your intelligence.
Big Tobacco is behind this. How many millions has that killed? Wake up people. stopthebanksters