In the vaping debate, India continues to be one of the worst examples of how nicotine policy should be shaped in favour of consumers rather than illicit trade.

In India, the prohibition on vapes could hardly be stricter. Production, manufacture, import, export, transport, sale, distribution, storage and advertising have all been απαγορευμένος since 2019. Violating the law can result in a fine or even imprisonment.

While vapes are prohibited, tobacco use remains legal. According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey, 28.6 percent of adults in India use tobacco in some form. Of these, 10.7 percent are current smokers, while 21.4 percent use smokeless tobacco, which is by far the most prevalent form of tobacco use in India. Among other smokeless tobacco products, khaini is the most commonly used. It is a mixture of sun-dried tobacco and slaked lime, used by 11.2% of adults in India.

We already know from numerous scientific studies that vaping is significantly less harmful than smoking cigarettes. So, does it make sense to ban less risky alternatives while leaving the deadliest option accessible to consumers? That is, of course, a rhetorical question.

However, even if we put the tobacco harm reduction argument aside, what is the most common consequence of prohibition? That’s right: illicit trade.

India is no exception. Numerous reports suggest that people are still vaping across the country. Yet, while government αναφορές closely monitor tobacco consumption rates, they largely ignore the illicit trade in vaping products. Neglecting the problem does not make it disappear. Acknowledging it, however, would require the government to admit that its prohibitionist policy has failed, and that does not seem likely.

Let’s look at the less formal side of the issue. One article mentions an online survey of 2,524 participants, nearly 13 percent of whom said they had witnessed people using vapes near their home or workplace every day.

I also came across a Reddit thread in which a consumer complained that the police had seized their vape and threatened them with a fine or imprisonment. There are also αναφορές showing that even tourists travelling to India may have their vapes seized.

We warned travellers about this last year in our guide, Vaping in India: What Travellers Need to Know. Unfortunately, the situation has not improved since then.

This kind of prohibitionist policy does not only create an illicit market that is not properly monitored by the government. It also creates an environment in which consumers can be criminalised simply for choosing a less harmful alternative.

Why is all of this happening?

India’s hostility towards harm reduction is partly due to the country’s close alignment with the World Health Organization, which continues to treat different nicotine products as though they carry the same level of risk. This approach ignores the growing scientific evidence showing that innovative alternatives, such as vapes and nicotine pouches, are significantly less harmful than combustible cigarettes.

When legal and regulated alternatives are taken away, smokers do not simply quit overnight. Many continue smoking, while others turn to illicit products. Neither outcome improves public health.

India’s experience should serve as a warning, not a model. If the goal is to reduce smoking-related disease, policymakers should focus on encouraging smokers to move away from tobacco rather than punishing those who are already trying to do exactly that.

Evidence-based harm reduction is not the enemy of tobacco control. It is one of its strongest tools.