Sept. 18 (UPI) -- India's government announced a sweeping ban on e-cigarettes Wednesday, citing potential health risks.
Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Science and Technology, Earth Sciences Dr. Harsh Vardhan, said the ordinance will prohibit the manufacturing, importing, exporting, sale distribution, storage and advertisement of e-cigarettes.
The ban includes products such as electronic nicotine delivery systems, heat-not-burn products, e-hookahs and others.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the ordinance was inspired by the deaths of seven people in the United States due to vaping-related illnesses. Dozens of Indian states had also taken action to ban the sale of e-cigarettes.
"Unfortunately, e-cigarettes got promoted initially as a way in which people can get out of the habit of smoking cigarettes. It was to be a weaning process from using cigarettes," Sitharaman said. "The Cabinet rightly thought it is time and we immediately took a decision so that the health of our citizens, of our young, is not thrown to a risk."
In the United States, New York Health officials voted to implement Gov. Andrew Cuomo's executive order banning the sale of flavored e-cigarette products on Tuesday.
The Trump administration also said it will impose a ban on non-tobacco flavored e-cigarette products with a plan to eliminate "unauthorized" products from the market.
