Is Vaping Still Better Than Traditional Smoking?
For a state - which, by the way, produces a lot of tobacco - that's no argument.
Delhi - The Indian government has banned the sale, production, import and promotion of e-cigarettes.
E-cigarettes are increasingly posing a health risk, especially for young people, Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told reporters on Wednesday in the Indian capital Delhi.
"There are reports that there are some people who are probably starting out because e-cigarettes seem cool," the minister said.
Data from the US also showed that e-cigarettes do not generally help smokers quit smoking, as manufacturers have often promised.
E-cigarette ban: Heavy fines or jail time
Anyone who violates the ban must expect a fine of around 1271 euros or up to a year in prison.
Anyone who breaks the ban several times can be fined around 6351 euros and imprisoned for up to three years.
Several farmers' groups in India had also called for a ban on e-cigarettes.
India is one of the largest tobacco producing countries - there is no tobacco in e-cigarettes and related liquids.
Cancer researchers warn against vaping - undesirable in Oktoberfest tents
According to the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), e-cigarettes are "very likely significantly less harmful" than tobacco cigarettes, but they are by no means harmless.
"Non-smokers should not use e-cigarettes because of the unknown long-term health effects," warns the DKFZ.
There is also resistance to e-cigarettes in Germany.
At the Oktoberfest 2019, the Wiesn hosts would prefer not to see them in their tents, as reported by Merkur.de*.
And FC Bayern also has something against them: "It is now strictly forbidden to smoke in the stands of the Allianz Arena from block access," the club announced a few weeks ago.
This also applies to e-cigarettes.
The run on e-cigarettes is still big - but many underestimate the dangers of so-called "vaping"*.
dpa/frs
*Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editorial network.