Traders seek revoking of e-cigarette ban in Gujarat

AHMEDABAD: Trade Representatives of ENDS in India (TRENDS) – a voluntary association – on Wednesday submitted a memorandum to deputy chief minister of Gujarat, Nitin Patel, seeking to revoke ban on e-cigarettes in Gujarat. The Gujarat assembly unanimously passed the bill banning e-cigarettes in the state on July 3.
Members of TRENDS s met Patel, who is also the minister of state for health and family welfare in Gujarat, and appealed to him to not give into short-term solutions like bans but regulate the sale, distribution and import of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) in Gujarat.
Speaking about the decision, Praveen Rikhy, convener, TRENDS said, “We explained to the minister that it (decision banning ENDS) was a short term and regressive decision that has no legal sanction under Indian laws and that it was unsustainable. We hope he will be able to convince his Government to act in accordance with global trends and start a process at developing a regulatory framework for this category”.
Last month, the voluntary association had also submitted a representation to Patel, urging him to reconsider the proposed move to ban e-cigarettes in Gujarat.
In a press statement, the association members said, “A ban on e-cigarettes will remove from the reach of citizens of Gujarat a less harmful and more viable option, forcing them to continue to smoke cigarettes which cause cancer.”