India announced on Wednesday a ban on the sale of electronic cigarettes, as a backlash gathers pace worldwide over a technology promoted as less harmful than smoking tobacco. The announcement by India came a day after New York became the second US state to ban flavored e-cigarettes following a string of vaping-linked deaths.
“The decision was made keeping in mind the impact that e-cigarettes have on the youth of today,” Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told reporters in New Delhi.
E-cigarettes heat up a liquid — tasting of anything from bourbon to bubble gum or just tobacco, and which usually contains nicotine — into vapor which is inhaled. The vapor is missing the estimated 7,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke but does contain a number of substances that could potentially be harmful. They have been pushed by producers, and also by some governments, including in Europe, as a safer alternative — and as a way to kick the habit.
Photo: AFP
照片:法新社
However, critics say that apart from being potentially harmful in themselves, the flavors of some liquids have turned millions of children into vapers — and potential future smokers.
The emergency legislation in New York, the second US state to ban flavored e-cigarettes, followed a mysterious outbreak of severe pulmonary disease that has killed seven people and sickened hundreds. President Donald Trump’s administration announced last week that it would soon ban flavored e-cigarette products to stem a rising tide of youth users.
Legislation is also being tightened elsewhere, and in Singapore e-cigarettes are already outlawed. In Japan, vaping and alternatives like “heat not burn” tobacco vaporizers are allowed but e-juices with nicotine are not. China, home to almost a third of the world’s smokers, indicated in July that it wants the “supervision of electronic cigarettes” to be “severely strengthened.”
The Indian ban covers the production, manufacture, import, export, transport, sale, distribution, and storage of e-cigarettes, as well as advertisements. The government said it would “advance tobacco control efforts” and “contribute to a reduction in tobacco usage.” Punishments include up to a year in prison.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), India is the world’s second-largest consumer of traditional tobacco products, which are not covered by the new ban, killing nearly 900,000 people every year. About 35 percent of adults are users, although chewing tobacco — which can also have flavors like chocolate and which also causes cancer — is more prevalent than smoking.
India is also the world’s third-largest producer of tobacco, the WHO says, and tobacco farmers are an important vote bank for political parties. According to the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry, an estimated 45.7 million people depend on the tobacco sector in India for their livelihood. India also exports around a billion US dollars worth of tobacco annually, and the government holds stakes in tobacco firms.
(AFP)
隨著全球各地對電子菸的反彈聲浪逐漸高漲,印度政府也於週三跟進,宣布禁售這種標榜健康危害比吸菸少的科技產品。在印度公布這項禁令的前一天,紐約州才因為美國發生一系列跟電子菸有關的死亡案例,成為美國第二個禁止調味電子菸的州。
印度財政部長尼爾瑪拉‧希塔拉曼在首都新德里告訴記者:「做出這項決定,是考量到電子菸對當今年輕人的影響。」
電子菸是加熱液體──從波本威士忌到泡泡糖,或是單純的菸草口味,種類應有盡有,且通常含有尼古丁──使其變成蒸氣,再被吸入肺部。電子菸的蒸氣沒有傳統紙菸燃燒後產生的大約七千種化學物,但確實含有許多可能有害的物質。電子菸受到生產業者、以及包含歐洲在內的某些國家政府推廣,被認為是較安全的替代商品──以及用來戒菸的方法之一。
不過,反對者指出,電子菸除了本身可能對健康有害,某些電子菸液體的香味已經讓數百萬孩童變成「電子菸槍」──並且可能在未來成為吸菸者。
近日美國爆發一場詭異的嚴重肺疾,造成七人喪生、數百人生病;紐約州遂緊急立法,讓該州成為美國第二個禁止調味電子菸的州。川普政府上週宣布將於近期禁止販售調味電子菸產品,以遏止年輕使用者逐漸增加的趨勢。
其他國家也開始緊縮相關法令:在新加坡,電子菸已遭全面禁止;在日本,液體式電子菸和替代商品──例如「加熱但不燃燒」的菸草加熱式菸品──是被允許的,但是含有尼古丁的電子菸液體則否。佔全世界三分之一吸菸者的中國,其政府官員曾在七月表示將會「嚴格加強電子菸的監管。」
印度的禁令涵蓋了生產、製造、進出口、運輸、銷售、散布、貯藏電子菸產品,以及廣告。該國政府表示,他們將會「推展菸草製品的管控工作」,並且「致力減少菸草製品的使用量」。罰則包括最高一年的徒刑。
根據世界衛生組織報告指出,印度是傳統菸草製品的全球第二大消費市場。傳統菸草製品並不在這次的禁令範圍內,但每年仍然持續奪走將近九十萬條人命。該國大約有百分之三十五的成人為吸菸者,不過嚼食菸草──這類產品也有巧克力等多種口味,同樣會導致癌症──在當地比傳統紙菸還要盛行。
世界衛生組織指出,印度亦是世界第三大的菸草產品製造者,而菸農更是該國政黨相當重要的票倉。根據印度商工聯合會統計,大約四千五百七十萬人仰賴印度的菸草相關行業維生。同時,印度每年的菸草出口總值高達十億美元,該國政府更持有多間菸草公司的股份。
(台北時報章厚明編譯)
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