Mumbai shops openly sell vapes, e-cigarettes despite nationwide ban since 2019

Vapes and ecigarettes have been a contentious issue in the country since the Central government announced a ban on these products in 2019 While manufacturers say it is merely vapour activists claim it includes hazardous chemicals Despite the ban and debate these are easily available at several shops and street stalls As part of the series on banned items being sold in the city this correspondent visited several such stalls to uncover how the market is still up and runningAlso read Mumbai still loves its plastic bagsVaping has become more common in recent years among smokers Vapes and ecigarettes are advertised as an alternative to traditional smoking These devices generally heat up liquids like nicotine often flavoured and emit vapour which the smoker inhales However there are several harmful ingredients in the aerosol experts have warned This led the Union government to move for its banBlack marketAs part of its test drive the correspondent first went to Shree Ram Pan Palace on Link Road Kandivli Upon inquiring the shopkeeper said he had vapes with various flavours and added ldquoThere are two types of vapes One has a capacity of 2500 drags which will cost you Rs 700 and the other can be used up to 5000 drags and can be charged and refilled for further use It costs around Rs 1400rdquoThe box of the one priced at Rs 700 mentioned the name of the brand as Yuoto and that it was made in China It also mentioned that it contains 5 per cent nicotine and that nicotine is addictive The next stop was Crawford Market in south Mumbai Most pan shops here said that they stopped selling vapes since the ban was enforced but a street pan stall next to the market had some in stock The shopkeeper however said ldquoWe do not sell vape pens or ecigarettes to unknown people We sell only to regular customers in bulkrdquomidday correspondent Suraj Pandey with an illegal ecigarette at a pan shop in Kandivli West PicAnurag AhireAt Manish Market midday found a person on the street selling vapes ldquoI have vape pens I have Thanos which can be used up to 5000 puffs and costs Rs 1500 You can also recharge and reuse it again I also sell refills in many flavours These cost Rs 100 eachrdquo the seller said When asked to show the product he said he could only show photos However another vendor on the same stretch promptly opened a box and showed the vape pens readilyThe banAccording to the US Food and Drug Administration these devices usually contain a liquid made of nicotine propylene glycol vegetable glycerin and other flavourings The Indian Council of Medical Research also pointed at health risks associated with ecigarettes and vapes Following their recommendation the government on September 18 2019 completely banned vapes and ecigarettesThe ban includes production manufacture import export transport sale distribution storage and advertisement of ecigarettes Any violation of these provisions is deemed a cognisable offence with jail term of up to one year or fine up to Rs 1 lakh or both for firsttime offenders For subsequent offences the punishment is imprisonment of up to three years and fine up to Rs 5 lakhA shopkeeper at Manish Market shows different vapesStorage of ecigarettes is also punishable with up to six months in jail or Rs 50000 fine or both Shashikant Kekare joint commissioner of Food and Drug Administration said ldquoWe have a vigilance team Sources also give tips about the sale of banned products and accordingly we take action The problem is that when we raid a shop we get a small number of these products But the sellers donrsquot reveal their sourcerdquoldquoUnder the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act many agencies have been given the right to take action against illegal sale of such banned products But unfortunately FDA is the only authority that takes instant action If everyone acts against such illegal activity then the scenario will be differentrdquo he addedHealth risksThese products are being marketed globally as an alternative to smoking cigarettes which leads one to believe that these are less harmful However Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC has warned that the aerosol vapour emitted by these devices contain nicotine carbonyl compounds heavy metals and other cancercausing agentsThe chemicals especially nicotine are also addictive According to the CDC nicotine is harmful to developing foetuses thus posing a risk to pregnant women and can also damage the process of brain development which goes on till early to mid20sA research paper presented at the European Respiratory Society ERS International Congress 2021 also mentioned that nicotinecontaining ecigarettes result in a rise in the formation of blood clots and a decline in the capacity of small blood vessels to expand and dilate Thus continuous usage may trigger heart attacks or strokes These sideeffects researchers and experts say are comparable to the ones brought on by conventional tobacco cigarettesDr Sudeep Sarkar senior consultant surgical oncology head and neck at Nanavati Max Super Speciality Hospital told midday ldquoIt can cause both cancer and addiction as it contains nicotine Whenever you smoke the toxic chemical gets into the blood which goes to the brain and makes you dependent It also goes to other organs and affects them That means it not only causes oral neck or lung cancer but it can also cause breast and pancreas renal cancer toordquoldquoEcigarettes are mostly consumed by the young generation They do it under peer pressure or take it up through exposure such as watching someone smoke at home Some also get influenced by movies and showsrdquo he addedVoicesDr Sudeep Sarkar senior consultant Nanavati Max Super Speciality HospitallsquoEcigarettes can cause both cancer and addiction as it contains nicotine Whenever you smoke the toxic chemical gets into the blood which goes to the brain and makes you dependent It also goes to other organs and affects them That means it not only causes oral neck or lung cancer but it can also cause breast and pancreas renal cancer toorsquoRaid on sellersVapes marketed as alternative to cigarettes are also harmfulJuly 2022 Mumbai police conducted raids at 12 places and arrested 11 people for selling ecigarettes vaping devices flavourinfused hookah tobacco and ecigarette refills to high school and college studentsA sellerlsquoWe do not sell vape pens or ecigarettes to unknown people We sell only to regular customers in bulkrsquoRs 700Price of a lowend vape pen