E-cigarettes banned nationwide: Twitterati calls govt's decision a 'good move, but not good enough'

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharam addressed a press conference today in Delhi to announce that the Cabinet has approved the decision to ban e-cigarettes.E-cigarettes are battery-operated hand-held devices that resemble cigarettes but don’t burn tobacco. They contain an aerosol solution which contains nicotine extracted from tobacco used in conventional cigarettes. A heating coil in the e-cigarette turns this liquid into vapour, which is then inhaled.Following the announcement, manufacturing, import, export, transport, sale, distribution, storage and advertising related to e-cigarettes are now banned. A draft ordinance that the Health Ministry had proposed, suggests a jail term of up to one year along with a penalty of Rs 1 lakh against first-time violators. This can go up to imprisonment of three years or a fine up to Rs 5 lakhs for subsequent violations, reported NDTV.

Vaping: Smoke Without Fire, Part 1Smoking e-cigarettes or vaping, is catching up in India, igniting a fierce debate over issues of health, ethics and the right to choice. Thirteen states have already banned vapes. The Central government is reportedly mulling an ordinance to ban it across the country. In this three-part series, Firstpost Conversations explores the issue with national and international experts. Posted by Firstpost on Friday, 6 September 2019

Following the decision, Twitter was flooded with reactions of those who support the use of e-cigarettes. Criticising the government's decision, many Twitter users argued that e-cigarettes are less harmful than smoking tobacco while the government is of the view that they pose health risks similar to those caused by combustible cigarettes.Check out a few reactions here: