AVI

France’s health agency reviewed 2,500+ studies and found smokeless, non‑combustible products carry far lower harm than ci******es. With countries like the UK, Japan and South Korea adopting harm‑reduction pathways, the article suggests India may benefit from an evidence‑based review of its own approach. **eBan

France's Smokeless To***co Research: Implications for India's Health Policies | India News - The Times of India India News: Explore how France's updated research on smokeless to***co products shapes India's public health strategy, supporting harm reduction and to***co control efforts.

FAKE STUDY ALERT: A recent Australian review claims ni****ne v**es are “likely” to cause lung and oral cancer. But top scientific experts have pointed out the paper isn’t a systematic review – it cherry-picks animal, lab and case studies while ignoring the complete absence of long-term human epidemiological evidence.

It overinterprets tiny traces of chemicals and overheating experiments that don’t reflect real-world va**ng and crucially fails to compare va**ng’s far lower carcinogen levels to the massive risks of smoking.

Ni****ne itself is not a carcinogen, and multiple independent evidence reviews confirm no cancer risk from va**ng in humans. For smokers, switching to va**ng remains one of the most effective harm-reduction tools available – don’t let misleading headlines push you back to ci******es.

Read the experts: https://www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reaction-to-qualitative-risk-assessment-on-the-carcinogenicity-of-e-ci******es/

Bangladesh has done a course correction and is reversing its v**e ban imposed last year. If our neighbours can follow evidence, why are we still stuck with a policy that creates a huge black market and denies millions of smokers access to safer alternatives?
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India

Bangladesh government moves to lift ban on e-ci******es Anti-to***co campaigners urged the government to reconsider its decision, terming it “very unfortunate."

Va**ng is the most effective way to quit smoking. Latest "review of reviews" found that ni****ne e-ci******es are associated with quit rates approximately 20% to 40% higher than traditional ni****ne replacement therapies, such as patches or gum, for smoking cessation lasting at least six months.

Ni****ne E-ci******es More Successful in Helping Smokers Quit : School of Public Health & Health Sciences : UMass Amherst A new analysis of existing studies co-led by Jamie Hartmann-Boyce finds that ni****ne e-ci******es consistently help adults quit smoking.

AVI director Samrat Chowdhery and former WHO executive director Derek Yach coauthor an article on the gutka explosion in India. Pointing out that bans don't work, they recommend enabling users to switch to lower-risk alternatives.

https://dailypioneer.com/news/dealing-with-gutkha-menace

Facts matter.

**eBan

While va**ng is not risk-free, it is less harmful than to***co Answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about va**ng and its effects.

This progressive risk-proportionate taxation model could be applied to the ni****ne and to***co spectrum too, which is currently inverse, with the deadliest products least taxed and the least harmful ones banned.

Australia proves that banning ni****ne only fuels black markets. India's 2019 v**e ban is repeating this exact mistake.

This article highlights that Australia's illicit ni****ne market is now worth $5 billion (₹42k cr), making it the fastest-growing illegal economy in the country. This is despite a threefold increase in enforcement spending in the last few years.

In India, where enforcement has been historically weak, this means a massive boom in illicit v**es, which also increases risk to consumers as the products are not tested for safety or quality.

**ngDebate

Prohibitive policies drove organised crime in Australia 100 years ago. It’s happening again Where there’s demand, there will be supply, legal or not. From the ‘sly grog’ of the 1920s to the illicit v**es of today, getting regulation right is difficult.

To***co control's inglorious moment: they had the tools to address the largest cause of preventable death but chose to scare and misinform 1bn smokers over exaggerated youth use risks.

Va**ng is less harmful than smoking, experts say. Why don’t smokers know this? - Scienceline Some scientists think anti-va**ng public health messaging has failed current smokers.

India’s v**e ban has been in place since 2019, yet anyone who has travelled across cities and small towns knows it hasn’t reduced access – it has only pushed the ecosystem underground. AVI shared its views in this The Financial Express piece, and we are glad this conversation is getting mainstream attention.

Apart from the health of ~30% Indians, at stake here is the future of a $12T industry which comprises 7% of the manufacturing sector, 13% of the workforce including farmers, and 3-4% of tax revenue. For a developing nation, pragmatism lies not in getting rid of this ground-up economic engine, but in finding ways to limit its negative impact.

Technology has made this possible with a far-less-risky product landscape, but the regulatory mechanism is being pulled towards protectionism and self-sabotage and is running counter to an unmistakable consumer shift.

This has led to predictable outcomes of prohibition: no age‑gating, no quality control, no taxation, no consumer protection – just a booming black market, as millions of adult smokers continue turning to v**es as a harm‑reduction step to move away from ci******es. Ignoring or trying to suppress this behavioural shift is clearly not working.

A public‑health‑first approach demands evidence‑based regulation, not bans. India needs standards, licensing, enforcement capacity, and honest conversations about harm reduction. A regulated market protects people; an unregulated one protects no one.

If you care about to***co control, public health, or the unintended consequences of policy design, this article is worth a read.

Link: https://www.financialexpress.com/life/lifestyle/va**ngnbspbannbspup-in-smoke/4134774/lite/

**ngDebate ***coPolicy

V**e bans are framed in a moral and public health context, but data shows that 75% of nations with a financial stake in the to***co trade have moved to ban modern alternatives, compared to only 10% of free-market economies. This article delves into the "sovereign conflict of interest," where protecting tax revenue and state-owned monopolies takes priority over harm reduction.

2FIRSTS | Fiscal benefit, not health, strongest indicator for v**e bans – Contributed by Samrat Chowdhery Data shows 75% of nations with state stakes in to***co trade ban modern substitutes compared to 10% in the free-market group. What is driving these divergent regulations?

Mexico has gifted a $1.5 billion industry to drug cartels, and India is doing the same.

A new report by The Associated Press highlights the disastrous reality of the Latin American country's v**e ban, which failed to stop consumption and instead handed the entire market to organised crime.

By pushing a popular consumer product into the shadows, the government has inadvertently empowered criminal networks to consolidate control over a booming trade that was once legitimate.

India is walking the same path with its own prohibition policies. Since the PECA ban, people have not stopped va**ng but the profits have simply shifted from tax-paying businesses to smugglers and criminal networks.

The parallels between the two nations are undeniable, as both possess vast and complex socio-economic landscapes where strict prohibition is nearly impossible to enforce.

The only sensible solution is to replace ineffective bans with a strict regulatory framework that can protect minors and provide adult smokers with quality-controlled alternatives.

It is time to adopt policies that create legitimate jobs and generate significant tax revenue rather than fueling an underground economy.

Article: https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/after-mexico-bans-v**es-cartels-tighten-grip-booming-129728214