Regulatory body will crack down on manufacturers and agents selling them.
E-cigarettes may be smokeless, but they have a plenty of parties fuming about them. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Maharashtra has stated that the sale of electronic or e-cigarettes is illegal and a crackdown will be initiated against errant manufacturers and agents selling them.
E-cigarettes are slender devices varying in size from a pen to a pocket-sized torch. They contain a nicotine-based liquid which vaporises when a user puffs through the device. It is operated using a chargeable battery.
FDA commissioner Mahesh Zagade told dna, "E-cigarettes are nicotine-based products which cause havoc on the human body and are dangerous to the health of people. Tobacco-based cigarettes are doing much harm already. We do not need any more products in the market that adversely affect human health."
FDA officials have observed that there is a rampant sale of e-cigarettes containing lethal quantity of nicotine in the market. As per Rule 122(E) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1940, prior approval of the Drugs Controller General of India is required to sell any product or medicine containing nicotine.
"Ranging from big departmental stores to the next-door paan shop, e-cigarettes are being sold everywhere. Nicotine, however is a drug ingredient which needs approval of Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) before being sold as a part of any product or medicine. The category of e-cigarettes has not been approved for sale or manufacture in India and hence we are clamping down on e-cigarettes," said a senior FDA official.
While conducting groundwork, FDA officials in Mumbai procured e-cigarettes from suppliers and observed that they contain up to 11mg milligrams of nicotine. "Nicotine is approved for use in de-addiction based chewing gums and lozenges containing 2 milligrams or 4 milligrams of the ingredient. In e-cigarettes, the nicotine levels were found to be very high. This has prompted the crackdown," the official added.
FDA officials said that any shop found selling e-cigarettes will be issued a prohibitory notice to immediately stop sale. Further, a case will be initiated against the errant party in the court of law.
Maharashtra will be the second state in India, after Punjab, to regulate the illegal sale of e-cigarettes. FDA has appealed to all citizens in the state to stop the sale or use of e-cigarettes.
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