World No Tobacco Day 2025: Experts say ‘vaping more dangerous than cigarettes,’ blame ‘influencers for glamourising'

On World Tobacco Day, experts have underlined the rampant use of e-cigarettes and vapes, highlighting how sellers are promoting their use as a "luxury" and employing clever tactics to compel teenagers to buy these products. During a seminar organised against vapes, experts noted that despite the ban on these products under the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act (PECA), 2019, producers have found ways to circumvent the law and promote e-cigarettes and vapes.

"Why is the industry using new tactics to attract our youth? Because the industry needs new users to consume these devices so that they can be turned into lifelong consumers," Avinash Sunthlia, Deputy Additional Director General (DADG), Health Ministry, was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

He added that they also market these devices as safer alternatives for smoking cessation, but it is actually about recruiting new users for a lifetime of dependence.

"To spread awareness, we have issued comprehensive guidelines for schools, initiated capacity-building programmes for teachers, and are working closely with influencers and digital creators to speak up about the dangers of vaping," he said.

Another expert asserted that consumption of vapes is more dangerous than cigarettes, as such devices can be used to consume hard drugs.

"Based on my experience, several users have confessed to using vaping equipment for hard drug intake. What makes the threat more dangerous is the way these products are promoted. Manufacturers and sellers use tactics like influencer marketing on social media to glamourise these devices and target young users while avoiding direct accountability and prosecution," said Jaspal Singh, Special Commissioner of Police for Protective Security, Delhi.

Puducherry Secretary Padma Jaiswal further underlined that these devices are promoted as a "luxury" style, and most of the users affected by vapes are adolescents in schools and colleges.

"Being a mother myself, I am aware that vaping is rampant, and the habit leaves a strong impact among adolescents and youth. They are attracted to these devices because they are promoted as a luxury, a style statement with the narrative that it is neither harmful nor punitive. Therefore, we need to raise awareness that these electronic devices are banned in India," she added.