In a letter to the Director General of Police, the Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has called for rigorous enforcement of the ban on e-cigarettes and a clampdown on outlets in Goa.
The Commission in recent times has been alerted about the 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,” said Peter F Borges, Chairperson, Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights.
He went on to say that 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 entry into higher levels of substances and addiction, and therefore must be stopped.
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 the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act, 2019 in Goa and a clampdown on outlets which sell these products through a special drive. Compliance is sought within a month by the Commission.
The Commission will engage in creating awareness regarding the same in educational institutions.