New Delhi, May 28 (PTI) Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal on Thursday termed vaping a “new gateway” to addiction and said she would raise the issue in Parliament, warning that e-cigarettes are increasingly being used by children as young as 12 despite a nationwide ban.
Speaking at a seminar organised by Mothers Against Vaping (MAV) ahead of World No Tobacco Day 2026, Maliwal described vaping as a serious public health threat that has become increasingly normalised among young people because of its “complete absence of stigma”.
Mothers Against Vaping (MAV), a collective working against the use of new-age nicotine products among children and youth, said such products act as gateway devices leading to nicotine addiction and wider substance dependency.
“…As a member of Parliament, I completely espouse this cause. I lend my complete voice and support to it, and I will try my level best to raise it in Parliament also,” Maliwal said.
“Nothing about them signals any kind of danger, and that is precisely the problem,” she said.
“A vape heats a chemical liquid into an aerosol that goes straight into the lungs. It is not water vapour or harmless mist. It’s a toxic cocktail of nicotine, diacetyl, formaldehyde and several heavy metals,” she said.
Referring to the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act (PECA), 2019, Maliwal said India had taken a “very strong and decisive step” by banning e-cigarettes, but claimed that vaping devices continue to be available in the grey market, especially in metropolitan cities.
“And the age of first experimentation is dropping. Children as young as 12 are being introduced to these devices,” she said, adding that the health impacts of vaping are extremely serious.
The seminar, titled “Unmasking the Appeal: Protecting Children from New-Age Gateway Products”, brought together experts from healthcare, science, education, law enforcement and public policy to discuss concerns around vaping devices, nicotine pouches, synthetic nicotine products and similar emerging nicotine delivery systems.
Maliwal outlined five major concerns linked to vaping and e-cigarettes’ impact on adolescent brain development, lung injuries, cardiovascular complications, exposure to carcinogens and mental health dependency among teenagers.
“Nicotine rewires the adolescent brain and makes young people four times more likely to take up cigarettes. Vaping is truly the new gateway,” she said.
She also criticised the marketing and presentation of vaping products, saying flavours and sleek designs were being used to attract children.
“The vaping industry has created over 15,000 flavours- cotton candy, gummy bear, blue raspberry. Those flavours are not for adults who are trying to quit smoking. They are actually designed to make addiction taste like childhood and rope in child users,” she said.
“The devices look like pens. They look like USB drives. So they can be completely hidden from teachers and parents,” she added.
Maliwal also raised concerns over the promotion of vaping on social media platforms.
“I searched vaping on Instagram today and found several influencers who are actually promoting vaping. They are making it look cool, which is very unfortunate,” she said.
“What makes vaping uniquely dangerous is the complete absence of stigma. A cigarette carries a smell. There is a cloud of smoke. There are decades of social disapproval. Parents notice, people talk. Vaping has quietly demolished that wall,” she said.
Experts at the seminar flagged the continued availability of vaping and nicotine-linked products in the grey market despite the nationwide ban.
Shalini Singh, Director and Scientist G at the National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), questioned claims portraying vaping as a “harm reduction” tool.
“A large number of narratives around vaping being less harmful have been shaped through industry-sponsored research and selective interpretation of evidence,” she said.
“When ICMR independently reviewed the available scientific data and excluded studies influenced by such conflicts, we found strong scientific merit in banning this entire class of products,” Singh added.
She also said misinformation around novel nicotine products was spreading rapidly among young people through digital platforms and influencer culture, and called for stronger collaboration between scientists, educators, parents and welfare organisations to counter such messaging.
Experts at the seminar also cautioned that all forms of novel nicotine products, referred to by several speakers as “nicotinoids”, pose a growing public health threat. Discussions highlighted that these products continue to evolve in form and delivery mechanisms, often outpacing public awareness and regulation.
Experts also noted that even the long-term efficacy and public health implications of Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) for cessation continue to remain under scientific review, underlining the need for greater caution and evidence-based regulation around all nicotine-linked products.
Dr Raj Kumar, Director of the Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute, University of Delhi, said vaping was often wrongly perceived as harmless by young people experimenting out of curiosity or peer pressure.
“What is deeply concerning is that many young people are experimenting with vaping out of curiosity, peer pressure, or the perception that it is fashionable and harmless. But addiction often begins with that very first puff,” he said.
The seminar also saw calls for including information on the hazards of vaping and other novel nicotine products in NCERT curricula to build awareness among children at an early stage.
Participants stressed the need for stronger enforcement against illicit sales networks, greater accountability from digital platforms and coordinated action involving parents, schools, healthcare professionals and law enforcement agencies. PTI KSH MPL MPL
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