The health ministry issued an advisory last year against the manufacture, sale, import and publicity of e-cigarettes. The country still has a black market for vapes, as also a closet marijuana culture
Vaping devices, those modern handheld e-hookahs used to inhale intoxicants, are in the spotlight as suspects in a mysterious string of health failures in the US. At least five vapers have lost their lives and nearly 450 serious cases of respiratory illness have been reported so far. Are vapes the culprit? Touted as an option safer than regular cigarettes, these devices have been in use for years, even sold as an aid for quitters of tobacco. Various studies back such claims.
Most of the recent cases, it turns out, are not related to vaping per se, nor even to tobacco, but to the inhalation of THC, specifically. This is the psychoactive chemical found in cannabis, the natural extract of which contains other natural cannabinoids, such as CBD, which is seen to play a balancing role. Pure THC, it would seem, is highly perilous. On its part, the US Food and Drug Administration has advised vapers not to use THC oil in vapes.
By policy, India is against all vaping. The health ministry issued an advisory last year against the manufacture, sale, import and publicity of e-cigarettes. Despite this ban, the country has a black market for vapes, as also a closet marijuana culture. Like weed smokers, vape users argue that it’s not as harmful as proclaimed. To clear the haze, we need a close scientific look at the relative risks all forms of smoking and the substances used for it, legal or illegal. Perhaps the findings will help deter smokers and recalibrate our policy.
