India: Consumers challenge vapor ban

The basis of a blanket ban on electronic cigarettes imposed two months ago by the government of Karnataka, India, is being challenged by consumers, according to a story in the Times of India.

Members of Bengaluru’s vaping community are said to have taken the Right to Information (RTI) route to debunk the government’s claim that the ban was based on the evidence from scientific studies.

The RTI reply they received from the Tobacco Control Division of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said ‘no study research analysis is available’ on the harmful effects of electronic cigarettes.

The RTI application was filed by IT professional Praveen Vijayan Pillai on the basis of the justification offered by UT Khader, the then Health Minister of Karnataka on announcing the ban.

Khader said a decision on banning electronic cigarettes was taken after a study was conducted by an NGO and experts.

But the vapers believe that the reply from the Union Health Ministry has undermined the state government’s position.

And they want to know also why the Karnataka government targeted electronic cigarettes while leaving untouched traditional tobacco cigarettes.