The Food and Drug Administration, Maharashtra, has issued notices to importers, distributors and dealers of e-cigarettes under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.
Dr Harshadeep Kamble, commissioner, FDA, said it has been noticed that use of electronic cigarettes, which contain nicotine, is on the rise, especially among the youth and college-going students.
Considering the ill-effects of smoking of e-cigarettes, show-cause notices were issued, he said.
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Sale of lozenges/gums containing less than 2 mg of nicotine is permissible, while the products which contain more nicotine are sold only on the prescription of medical practitioners.
As per the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, every new drug should be sold with the prior approval of Drugs Controller General of India, but such an approval has not been given for these e-cigarettes, he said.
Smoking of e-cigarettes can lead to addiction (as in the case of ordinary cigarettes) and there was demand from NGOs and activists that they should be banned, he added.
Contravention of relevant provisions of Drugs and Cosmetics Act can attract imprisonment of three to five years.
Kamble said that in Mumbai alone 23 importers/ sellers were issued notices.
