Government Takes Action Against E-Cigarette Sales, Social Media Platforms Could Follow
Despite the strict prohibition of e-cigarettes in India, certain websites have been illicitly selling them, prompting the government to take action. In response, the Union Health Ministry has recently issued takedown notices to 15 websites engaged in the sale of e-cigarettes. These websites have been instructed to cease all sales and advertising of their products without delay.
According to PTI, six other websites are on the watch list. In addition, the ministry closely monitors the advertisements and sales of e-cigarettes on social media and may issue remarks against them in the near future.
“If they do not respond and comply with the law, the Health Ministry will write to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to remove these websites. Legal action will also be taken against these websites,” PTI quoted a source as saying. .
The sale of e-cigarettes was stopped under the Electronic Cigarettes Prohibition Act (Manufacturing, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and Advertising) which entered into force in 2019.
The Ministry of Health mentioned that they have discovered information related to online advertising and the sale of illegal e-cigarettes. This sale is illegal according to Section 4 of the Electronic Cigarette Prohibition Act.
It also added that “Based on the above and in accordance with section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act 2000 (IT Act) and in accordance with the Government’s notification dated 15 November 2021, the undersigned is hereby authorized to direct you to block access and/or delete all of the attached document said information without prejudicing the evidence in any way.”
After the announcement, websites were given a 36-hour deadline to submit their responses. According to an official source, only four of the 15 websites have responded and ceased operations. The ministry is still waiting for responses from other websites. If they fail to respond within the given time, they may face serious charges under the IT Act or the Electronic Cigarette Prohibition Act.
Chief Secretaries, Union Health Minister Rajesh Bhushan said that e-cigarettes will be made easily available to students. In response, the ministry issued a public notice in May urging all producers, manufacturers, importers, exporters, distributors, advertisers and carriers, including couriers, social media sites and e-commerce sites, to manufacture, procure or sell e-cigarettes. directly or indirectly.
