Newspatrolling.com News cum Content Syndication Portal Online
Collaborates with Mothers Against Vaping for Capacity-Building Workshop at Delhi Police Academy
New Delhi, 03 November 2025
Acknowledging the urgency of curbing the proliferation of gateway nicotine products despite an existing nationwide ban, the Delhi Police has become the first police force in the country to organize a dedicated capacity-building workshop for its officers on the subject of vaping and new-age nicotine devices.
The half-day session, titled “Enforcement in the Digital Age: Tackling the Vape Culture Among Youth,” was held at the Delhi Police Academy, Rajinder Nagar, and conducted by the citizen-led movement Mothers Against Vaping (MAV). The workshop was attended by officers from the ranks of Head Constables to Inspectors.
The initiative aimed to equip enforcement personnel with a clear understanding of the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act (PECA) 2019 and to address digital enforcement challenges, including online smuggling, illegal promotion, and the disguised sale of vaping devices and nicotine pouches.
One of the key messages shared with the officers during the workshop was the growing threat of a new form of addiction among today’s youth — the use of nicotine pouches and gums. Officers were sensitised to how these seemingly harmless products are becoming fast-emerging gateways to nicotine dependence, posing serious risks to teenagers’ physical and mental health.
Conducting one of the sessions in the workshop, Dr. Rajesh Gupta, Director & Head
Respiratory Medicine & Interventional Pulmonology, Yashoda Medicity, said, “Today’s youth don’t start with cigarettes or other traditional substances because the smell, stigma, and detection risk keep them away. Instead, they’re drawn to sleek, flavoured products that seem innocent at first. These flavour-only pouches or vapes often become the gateway to nicotine addiction and more dangerous substances. What many don’t realise is that these sweet-smelling vapours can contain toxic chemicals like diacetyl and formaldehyde that permanently scar the lungs. It’s a silent epidemic disguised in flavour.”
Apart from flavourings, users also inhale harmful substances such as formaldehyde, acrolein, heavy metals, and other toxic compounds, which could be more than 7,000 in total. Many flavoured e-liquids contain chemicals like diacetyl and acetyl-propionyl, which are linked to a serious condition known as “popcorn lung”, causing irreversible scarring and damage to the lung airways.
The workshop highlighted that while the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and Advertisement) Act, 2019 (PECA) enforces a complete ban on the production, sale, import, export, transport, storage, and advertisement of e-cigarettes in India, these products still remain easily accessible to school children and young adults. The PECA Act covers all electronic devices that heat any substance, with or without nicotine, and produce aerosol or vapour.
Under the Act, possession of such devices is a punishable offence. Penalties include, for the first offence, imprisonment of up to 1 year, or a ₹1 lakh fine, or both; for repeat offences, imprisonment of up to 3 years, or a ₹5 lakh fine, or both; and for storage-related offences, imprisonment of up to 6 months, or a ₹50,000 fine, or both.
Sh. Asif Mohd Ali IPS, Jt. Director, Delhi Police Academy, said, “While the ban on novel nicotine products like vapes is clear, the challenge lies in how these products are marketed and distributed through new-age digital routes — from social media to e-commerce and courier channels — often disguised as harmless lifestyle items. It is therefore essential that our force remains updated on such emerging threats. Mothers Against Vaping has been doing exceptional work in raising awareness on these issues, and we were glad to have them conduct this capacity-building workshop. The session was deeply insightful, providing clarity on the scale of the threat and the multi-dimensional challenges faced by parents, educators, and the medical fraternity in protecting our youth.”
The workshop emphasised that parents cannot tackle the threat of vaping alone; it requires a united effort from schools, law enforcement, and civil society.
Ms. Manvi Gupta, Co-Founder Parwarish and a certified child counsellor who took a session during the workshop, said, “Parenting today is a battlefield — screens, peers, and substances all compete for our children’s minds. Raising a child who stays free from addiction feels like winning a national award for heroism. Parents are exhausted, trying to protect their children in a world selling temptation in shiny packages. This workshop helped police officers see why vapes and nicotine pouches are far more dangerous than cigarettes and how enforcing PECA can help parents fight this battle. We look to our enforcement officers as allies in this mission — partners in protecting every home and every child.”
Officers were urged to enforce the law with empathy but without compromise, because a child who never starts using these products never needs to quit. These devices are not lifestyle gadgets; they are illegal drugs in disguise. The message was clear: these products must not be allowed to circulate freely in schools, malls, or online marketplaces.
The workshop also briefed police officers on the supply chain of these new-age gateway devices. Most products, including devices, pods, and flavoured e-liquids, are manufactured in China and Southeast Asia. They reach India through misdeclared sea containers, small courier consignments, or cross-border hand carriage. Importers and wholesalers break large shipments into smaller batches for regional distribution. Then the devices are sold through dedicated e-commerce portals and retail stores and promoted via Instagram pages, Telegram/WhatsApp groups, YouTube shorts, and influencer posts. Orders are placed through DMs, websites, or WhatsApp, with payments via UPI, wallets, or cash on delivery.
Vapes can be easily modified to deliver substances beyond nicotine, including marijuana oils (THC), opioids, and synthetic drugs. Schools in several countries have reported incidents where THC-laced vape pens were confiscated from students. This trend highlights a dangerous shift — vapes are becoming gateways not only to nicotine addiction but also to the use of harder, illicit drugs.
