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03/07/2019 - Health

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July 03, 2019

Regulating the use e-cigarettes by government provides viable alternative choice to tobacco users rather than consider banning it. Do you agree with this view? Substantiate (200 Words)

Refer - Financial Express 

Enrich the answer from other sources, if the question demands.

5 comments
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Santosh kulkarni 5 years

Kindly review. Thanks.

IAS Parliament 5 years

Good answer. Keep writing.

IAS Parliament 5 years

KEY POINTS

·        India’s tobacco problem is a cause of concern—the number of tobacco users has crossed 267 million, and five people die due to tobacco-related illnesses each minute.

·        Smoke from cigarettes causes non-communicable diseases such as lung cancer, peripheral arterial disease, chronic obstructive lung disease and heart disease.

·        Despite the availability of smoking-cessation medications, many smokers do not want to try them. Of those who use them, the majority either fail or relapse within a year.

·        Countless efforts to reduce tobacco burden by means of taxation, stringent labelling requirements, etc, have lost the fight to control India’s rising number of smokers.

·        Public health experts have recommended that smokers be encouraged to switch to lesser harmful substitutes. 

·        At the centre of the problem sits ‘tobacco addiction’. India needs a robust regulatory mechanism to make alternatives available to smokers.

·        As per the available scientific evidence, it is clear that vaping is a fraction of the risk of smoking, at least 95% less harmful and of negligible risk to bystanders.

·        Moreover, ban against an e-cigarette is not justifiable, when bidis and tobacco cigarettes are available at every nook and corner of our cities.

·        The needs are satiated by the grey market, leading to unregulated usage, with unsafe options carelessly available.

·        Restricting access to a viable alternative like e-cigarettes to people who already have full access to far more harmful conventional cigarettes, the argument is futile.

·        Many nations have chosen to invest more in researching the public health impact of these devices and develop appropriate regulations for optimising its positive impact, instead of banning.

·        It is crucial to consider the relative risks of e-cigarettes and conventional cigarettes while framing regulations. There is mounting scientific evidence to prove e-cigarettes are significantly less harmful than traditional cigarettes.

·        It would be tragic to deny an alternative to millions of smokers. India needs to reassure its smoking population there are choices available with reduced harm.

Krish 5 years

Kindly evaluate sir

IAS Parliament 5 years

Try to add few more points in support of e- cigarette as an alternative choice. Keep Writing.

Sheetal 5 years

Review plz. Thank you. 

IAS Parliament 5 years

Good attempt. Keep writing.

Saurav krishna 5 years

IAS Parliament 5 years

Good attempt. Try to include about disadvantages of conventional cigarettes and relate with advantage of e-cigarette. Keep Writing.

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