In a letter to Director General of Police, the Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has called for rigorous enforcement of ban on e-cigarettes and clampdown on outlets in Goa.
The Commission, in the recent times, has been alerted about emergence of vaping among students in educational institutions which is spreading like wildfire. With the state already grappling with substance abuse in educational institutions, the growing popularity of these fancy electronic vaping devices among students is a matter of grave concern as they are being positioned as cool and safer by the tobacco industry.
“A search online yields several results of stores in Goa, where e-cigarettes, vaping devices, e-cigarette refills are sold either offline or online to students. The use of these products with attractive appearances and multiple flavours has increased exponentially among students in educational institutions in Goa and can be the gateway for the entry into higher levels of substances and addiction and therefore must be stopped,” insists Peter F. Borges, Chairperson of Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights.
In the interest of public health, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) were banned in September 2019, by the Indian Government under the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act, 2019. The legislation prohibits the production, manufacture, import, export, transport, sale, distribution, storage, and advertisement of e-cigarettes in India.
The Commission recommends rigorous enforcement of the ban under Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act, 2019 in Goa and clampdown on outlets which sells these products through a special drive. A compliance is sought within a month by the Commission.
