CHENNAI : Following the policy decision announced in the Assembly in June, the state government has issued an order banning e-cigarettes. The order, dated September 3 and made public on Wednesday, bans manufacture, sale (including online) and possession of the e-cigarettes with immediate effect in the state.
The order reads, “The government, after careful examination in public interest, hereby prohibits the manufacture, sale (including online sale), distribution, trade, display, marketing, advertisement, use, import and possession of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) known as e-cigarettes or by any other name or component with immediate effect in the state of Tamil Nadu.”
Listing the ill-effects of e-cigarettes, the order said it is a myth that e-cigarettes are less harmful than beedis and cigarettes.
Welcoming the ban, the Tamil Nadu People’s Forum for Tobacco Control said, “The order will greatly strengthen tobacco control in our State and will also be a stepping stone for tobacco control laws at the national level. More importantly, the order will protect our people, especially children and young adults from falling into the ills of tobacco.”However, Association of Vapers India, a group campaigning in support of e-cigarettes, condemned the ban.