E-cigarettes a safe option to kick the butt: Survey

Bengaluru: The State health ministry recently banned the sale of electronic cigarettes this June during the term of former Health Minister U.T. Khader, citing serious long term effects on health. In addition, the Indian Medical Association had in January discouraged the use of electronic cigarettes to cut down on smoking as these disguised forms of tobacco could have ‘serious’ long-term effects on health.

However, a face-to-face survey was conducted this year by factasia.org, an independent, non-profit, consumer-oriented advocacy group that promotes the sensible regulation of the rights of adult citizens throughout Asia to choose the use of tobacco or other nicotine related products. This revealed that two-thirds of the adult smokers (66%) agreed that e-cigarettes represented a positive alternative to today’s conventional cigarettes.

“One key result of the survey is that smokers in India need to develop a better understanding of their choices, especially with regards to vaping. While many countries have now adopted effective methods to quit smoking, particularly vaping, Indian consumers have minimal awareness of the options available. In particular, they seem to have little understanding of the benefits of e-cigarettes compared to smoking," stresses Heneage Mitchell, founder of Factasia.org.

In a first-of-its-kind survey of adult smokers in India, regional consumer advocacy group factasia.org has found that most smokers (66 per cent) see e-cigarettes as a “positive alternative” to tobacco products. Even more – 69 per cent – would consider switching to e-cigarettes. “If they were legal, met quality and safety standards, and were conveniently available.”

The survey revealed that a large majority (80 percent) felt they should have a right to access information about less harmful products, while more than three-quarters agree that: “Through tax and regulatory policies, the government should encourage adult smokers to switch to less harmful alternatives to cigarettes and to ensure that they were not used by the youth,” Mitchell said.

The survey also revealed that only 1% of adult smokers in India are regular or occasional e-cigarette users.