Leading tobacco harm reduction experts’ opinion on E-cigarettes shared with Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare

India

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Trade body TRENDS seeks meeting with Minister to present their views on why India should consider regulation of ENDS for adult smokers.

New Delhi, August 16, 2019:

The voluntary association of Trade Representatives of ENDS in India [TRENDS] today shared the opinions and statements on E-Cigarettes from leading tobacco harm reduction experts with Union Health Ministry.

The copies of reports were formally submitted to Shri Harsh Vardhan, Hon’ble Minister for Health and Family Welfare and Smt. Preeti Sudan, Secretary for Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The representation has also been submitted to Shri. Vijay Kumar Dev, Hon’ble Chief Secretary, Shri. Arvind Kejriwal, Hon’ble Chief Ministerand Shri. Satyendra Kumar Jain, Hon’ble Health Minister, Government of Delhi.

In the documents made to the Union Health Ministry, TRENDS pointed out how E-Cigarette can help people to quit smoking and why banning them is not the option to adopt. E-cigarettes are being banned at a frenetic pace by successive state governments despite plethora of evidence that suggests they are significantly less harmful (being non-combustible) than cigarette and other tobacco products.

Among the submitted opinions and statements, leading tobacco harm reduction experts like Royal College of Physicians and American Cancer Society have emphasized that e-cigarettes are significantly less harmful than cigarettes and better alternate to conventional smoking.

In its position statement issued in 2017, UK Department of Health, towards a smoke-free generation, said, “We will help people quit smoking by permitting innovative technologies that minimize the risk of harm. We will maximize the availability of safer alternatives to smoking

Public Health England issued a statement in 2017 that said “Our new review reinforces the finding that vaping is a fraction of the risk of smoking, at least 95% less harmful and of negligible risk to bystanders. Yet over half of smokers either falsely believe that vaping is as harmful as smoking or just don’t know.”

Some of the other leading tobacco harm reduction experts whose opinions and statements were shared included Mitch Zeller- Director, U.S. Center for Tobacco Products, FDA, Alex Wodak -President, Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation, Konstantinos E. Farsalino – Research Fellow, Onassis Cardiac Surgery Centeretc.

Also, the views of Medical Experts on ENDS by way of published articles were also shared with government including those by Prof. Riccardo Polosa- MD  PhD,  Director – Institute for Internal Medicine and Clinical Immunology, University of Catania, Amir Ullah Khan-Economist and Director, Research , Aequitas, Prof. David T. Sweanor – Chairperson, Centre for Health Law, Policy and Ethics University of Ottawa and many more.

Speaking on this, Praveen Rikhy, Convenor, TRENDS said, “We want to continue to provide constructive suggestions for regulation of ENDS in India, which will prevent access of products to vulnerable groups such as children under 18 years and pregnant women, while allowing controlled access to adult smokers looking for a less harmful substitute to conventional cigarettes”.

She added, “We look forward to a meeting with the Hon’ble Health Minister and the Ministry officials at the earliest to present our views in person on why India should consider regulation of ENDS for adult smokers over ban. We are similarly making an outreach to Delhi Government as well”.