'Mothers Against Vaping' calls for curbs on vapes, e-cigarettes in South East Asia

New Delhi: 'Mothers Against Vaping' has urged South East Asian nations to heed the World Health Organization's call to curb the use of new-age gateway devices such as e-cigarettes and vapes, particularly among children and youth.

The group represents a unified front of proactive and concerned mothers dedicated to combating the "escalating vaping crisis" among the youth.

The World Health Organization's warning about the surge of vaping in the region underscores the pressing need to control the widespread use of e-cigarettes and other new-age gateway products, the group emphasized.

India has been leading efforts in banning e-cigarettes and similar new-age gateway devices.

The PECA 2019 legislation has prohibited all aspects of electronic cigarette products, such as production, manufacturing, import, export, transport, sale, distribution, storage, and advertisement of e-cigarettes, and renders them illegal in the country.

According to 'Mothers Against Vaping,' India and other nations should prioritise demand reduction strategies.

The collective claimed there is little evidence that e-cigarettes lead to smoking cessation and these devices pose significant health risks to children and youth.

In December 2023, the WHO said that e-cigarettes have not demonstrated effectiveness in quitting tobacco use, with emerging evidence pointing to adverse population health effects associated with these new-age electronic devices.

"Scientifically, claiming that E-Cigarettes can eliminate nicotine addiction is not accurate, given that these devices contain nicotine.

"Furthermore, the use of e-cigarettes poses a risk of delivering higher doses of nicotine and other harmful chemicals, potentially causing more harm to users. Hence there is an urgent need for effective measures to curb their usage, especially among the youth," said Dr Rajesh Gupta, additional director, Pulmonology and Critical Care, Fortis Healthcare, Noida.

According to WHO, the South-East Asia Region has a significant prevalence of smokeless tobacco users, accounting for a massive 77 per cent of the global smokeless tobacco user population.

There are around 11 million adolescent users in the age group of 13-15 years, constituting nearly 30 per cent of the global total.

"The surge in the use of e-cigarettes among young people is not surprising, influenced by a variety of factors including peer pressure and aggressive advertising by manufacturers.

"Beyond the evident physical harm caused by vaping or e-cigarettes, there is a critical concern about the serious mental health impacts such as mood and anxiety disorders, suicidal thoughts and depressive symptoms," said Dr Bhavna Barmi, Clinical Psychologist, Founder, Happiness Studio.

Mothers Against Vaping also drew attention to a survey conducted by the American Heart Association, presented in February 2023.

The findings of the survey revealed a concerning correlation between vaping nicotine and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the psychoactive component in marijuana and self-reported symptoms of depression and anxiety.

"The long-term consequences of e-cigarettes remain unknown, but studies have already demonstrated serious lung injuries and adverse health effects associated with their use. Without effective control measures, the widespread prevalence of these new-age devices poses a genuine risk, potentially leaving our future generation with lasting health impairments.

"From causing chemical poisoning in users to jeopardising maternal and foetal health, vaping presents a myriad of physical health risks," said Dr Varuna Pathak, former Professor of GGynaecology and Obstetrics, Gandhi Medical College.