AVI

India’s v**e ban has been in place since 2019, yet anyone who has travelled across cities and small towns knows it hasn’t reduced access – it has only pushed the ecosystem underground. AVI shared its views in this The Financial Express piece, and we are glad this conversation is getting mainstream attention.

Apart from the health of ~30% Indians, at stake here is the future of a $12T industry which comprises 7% of the manufacturing sector, 13% of the workforce including farmers, and 3-4% of tax revenue. For a developing nation, pragmatism lies not in getting rid of this ground-up economic engine, but in finding ways to limit its negative impact.

Technology has made this possible with a far-less-risky product landscape, but the regulatory mechanism is being pulled towards protectionism and self-sabotage and is running counter to an unmistakable consumer shift.

This has led to predictable outcomes of prohibition: no age‑gating, no quality control, no taxation, no consumer protection – just a booming black market, as millions of adult smokers continue turning to v**es as a harm‑reduction step to move away from ci******es. Ignoring or trying to suppress this behavioural shift is clearly not working.

A public‑health‑first approach demands evidence‑based regulation, not bans. India needs standards, licensing, enforcement capacity, and honest conversations about harm reduction. A regulated market protects people; an unregulated one protects no one.

If you care about to***co control, public health, or the unintended consequences of policy design, this article is worth a read.

Link: https://www.financialexpress.com/life/lifestyle/va**ngnbspbannbspup-in-smoke/4134774/lite/

**ngDebate ***coPolicy

V**e bans are framed in a moral and public health context, but data shows that 75% of nations with a financial stake in the to***co trade have moved to ban modern alternatives, compared to only 10% of free-market economies. This article delves into the "sovereign conflict of interest," where protecting tax revenue and state-owned monopolies takes priority over harm reduction.

2FIRSTS | Fiscal benefit, not health, strongest indicator for v**e bans – Contributed by Samrat Chowdhery Data shows 75% of nations with state stakes in to***co trade ban modern substitutes compared to 10% in the free-market group. What is driving these divergent regulations?