KOCHI: Despite knowing that smoking kills, the number of smokers is on the rise, warns a report by the Kerala-based think-tank Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR). Recently, the organisation released a white paper on the ban on novel tobacco and nicotine products and urged the Centre to provide “less harmful alternatives” for smokers.
The paper says e-cigarettes are now being recognised as a viable alternative to conventional cigarettes. Countries such as the UK, New Zealand, and Canada considered leaders in tobacco control are examples. For instance, the UK’s National Health Service notes e-cigarettes “have become a very popular stop-smoking aid” and “can help you quit smoking for good”.
It notes that e-cigarettes do not produce tar or carbon monoxide, two of the most harmful elements in tobacco smoke. Though e-cigarettes have nicotine it does not have tobacco, says Dr D Dhanuraj, chairman of CPPR. “Harmful elements of tobacco smoke aren’t in e-cigs.
Though unhealthy, it’s less harmful,” he says. In 2019, the Indian Council of Medical Research recommended the prohibition of e-cigarettes, citing reasons such as increased use by youth, and harmful effects on non-smokers. And the Centre imposed a ban.
“Before imposing a ban, thorough scientific research was required,” says a senior research associate at CPPR, Anu Anna Jo. “In India, various tobacco products more toxic than e-cigs are being circulated. If they are brought again, they should be introduced in such a way that it is a cessation product.”