E-cigarette ban: Public comments invited as part of pre-legislative consultations

Following the ordinance promulgated on September 18 by the Centre banning all trade associated with Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) — popularly referred to as e-cigarettes or vaping devices — the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) has now put the bill in public domain for comments.

The Department of Health and Family Welfare now proposes to introduce the ‘Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and Advertisement) Bill, 2019’ in the forthcoming session of Parliament.

The said Bill is placed in the public domain (www.mohfw.gov.in), as part of pre-legislative consultations, with a view to eliciting the comments/views of public.

The Bill calls for a total ban on production, manufacture, import, export, transport, sale, distribution, storage and advertisement of electronic cigarettes. ‘Electronic cigarette’ under the bill has been defined to include an electronic device that heats a substance, with or without nicotine and flavours, to create an aerosol for inhalation and includes all forms of ENDS, Heat Not Bum Products, e-Hookah and the like devices.

The comments/views may be forwarded to Under Secretary (Tobacco Control), Department of Health and Family Welfare, Room No- 414 ’D’, Nirman Bhawan, New Delhi- 110011 or e-mailed at ntcp.mohfw@gmail.com on or before 8th November 2019.