Mothers Against Vaping Applauds European Commission for Flagging Emerging Nicotine Devices as New Public Health Threat

• Rising use of e-cigarettes, heated tobacco, and nicotine pouches endangers younger generations
• New-age nicotine products not effective for smoking cessation and instead fuels addiction
• Use of illegal means to flood the market and creation of a narrative to legalise these harmful products
• Health experts caution against severe mental and physical risks among youth and adolescents

New Delhi, April 28, 2026: Mothers Against Vaping, a united front of concerned mothers combatting the promotion of New-Age Tobacco Devices, has welcomed the European Commission’s recognition of emerging devices such as e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and nicotine pouches as significant public health concerns. The group emphasised that these products, often marketed as safer alternatives, are increasingly drawing in younger users, acting as a gateway to nicotine addiction rather than serving as effective smoking cessation tools, and exposing adolescents to serious long-term health risks.

The European Commission has recently published its evaluation of the EU tobacco control framework and assessed the effectiveness, efficiency and relevance of the Tobacco Products Directive and Tobacco Advertising Directive in protecting public health and ensuring the smooth functioning of the internal market. While the findings show that there has been a significant decline in smoking, yet there are growing challenges linked to the rapid emergence of novel tobacco and nicotine products, particularly among young people.

Dr. Rajesh Gupta, Director – Institute of Respiratory Medicine and Interventional Pulmonology at Yashoda Medicity, Indirapuram said, “From a clinical standpoint, the rising use of e-cigarettes and other gateway new-age devices among young people is a serious concern. These products pose significant mental and physical risks for adolescents, as nicotine exposure during critical stages of brain development can impair attention, memory, and emotional regulation, while also increasing susceptibility to anxiety and mood disorders. Respiratory irritation and cardiovascular strain are also linked to their use. Despite being marketed as safer alternatives, they often sustain nicotine dependence or even initiate it. This underscores the urgent need for stronger prevention and awareness efforts.”

Mothers Against Vaping have highlighted the European Commission’s evaluation that though e-cigarettes and Heated Tobacco Products (HTPs) are sometimes marketed as effective for helping people to quit smoking, their effectiveness in this regard is highly questionable.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) explicitly states that e-cigarettes have not proven effective for smoking cessation. According to the Eurobarometer survey 2023, the large majority of respondents do not think that e-cigarettes or HTPs can help smokers to quit traditional tobacco products.

Scientific reports provide evidence that using e-cigarettes increases the likelihood of cigarette smoking, particularly among young people and young adults. One report, as mentioned in the evaluation, indicates that e-cigarette use increases the likelihood of starting smoking by about three times. The WHO has similarly cautioned that children who experiment with these devices are more than twice as likely to smoke cigarettes. Hence, e-cigarettes serve as an initiation or gateway into nicotine addiction and smoking and traditional tobacco use, particularly among young people.

In India, as in several other countries, vested interests supposedly are actively attempting to promote novel nicotine products with the aim of cultivating a new generation of users. These efforts extend to the use of illicit channels such as unauthorised online sales, smuggling, surrogate advertising, influencer-driven promotion on social media, and misleading claims around safety and cessation to bypass existing regulations and create demand. Despite a formal ban on such devices in India, narratives are being shaped to normalise their use and even push for their legalisation, often downplaying the associated health risks. This underscores the urgent need to curb such incursions by strengthening enforcement mechanisms, tightening surveillance of digital and retail ecosystems, and taking decisive action to prevent the flooding of these illegal products that pose a serious threat to India’s youth.

Ms. Seema Anis, a renowned educationist, said, “As an educationist, I see firsthand how impressionable young minds are and am deeply troubled by the growing threat of novel nicotine products to their lives. These devices are often designed to appeal to curiosity and peer influence, making them particularly risky within school and college settings. While the fight to ensure tighter enforcement of the existing ban in our country must continue, it is equally important for educational institutions and families to work together to build awareness and resilience, so that guardian visibility can move faster than the digital environment.Policies like PECA 2019 cannot be expected to remain effective when new by-products of nicotine are being introduced into the market every now and then, such as nicotine pouches. The government needs to stay a step ahead to ensure the effective implementation of policies; therefore, annual or even biannual revisiting and, if required, review of policies is needed.

She, Added, Use of these products can impair concentration, learning, and cognitive development, and early exposure risks normalizing addiction, with possibly disastrous consequences later in life. Hence, a collective, preventive approach is essential to safeguard students from these harmful influences.

The European Commission’s evaluation further highlights that, although relatively new, the health impacts of these devices are becoming clearer. Evidence links e-cigarette use to adverse cardiovascular and respiratory outcomes, with additional concerns around potential cancer-related effects and risks during pregnancy.

E-cigarette users inhale a mixture of nicotine, metals, and other toxic substances through these devices. Research has identified compounds associated with cancer risk, alongside links to lung injury, poisoning, burns, and acute nicotine toxicity. There is also growing evidence that exposure to e-cigarette aerosols may cause DNA damage and other cellular changes, raising concerns about long-term health consequences, including reproductive risks.

Nicotine’s highly addictive nature leads to sustained use and repeated exposure. Adolescents are particularly vulnerable, as nicotine can disrupt brain development and increase the likelihood of long-term dependence. For pregnant women, exposure may adversely affect foetal brain development and contribute to other complications.

Additionally, e-liquids often contain high concentrations of nicotine, making accidental ingestion especially dangerous and, in some cases, fatal. Flavoured products play a significant role in attracting younger users and may further heighten the risk of accidental poisoning.