Bangladesh plans to ban vapor in response to US THC-related deaths

Bangladesh plans to prohibit the sale and use of vapor products in response to a global health scare, reports Reuters.

“We are actively working to impose a ban on the production, import and sale of e-cigarettes and all vaping tobaccos to prevent health risks,” said Shaikh Yusuf Harun, secretary at the health education and family welfare division of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The health ministry had taken into consideration the recent spate of deaths and illnesses linked to e-cigarette use in the United States, he said.

As of Nov. 20, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had registered 2,290 cases of lung injuries and 49 deaths related to vaping. Public health officials have fingered black market THC products as the most likely culprit.

India, the world’s second-largest tobacco market, banned the sale of e-cigarettes in October as it warned of a vaping “epidemic” among young people.

The global market for e-cigarettes was worth $15.7 billion in 2018, according to Euromonitor International, and is projected to more than double to $40 billion in 2023.