Relevance: GS II (Health & Governance) & GS IV (Ethics) | Source: The Hindu

1. What is the Big News?

Recently, the Tamil Nadu government took strict action against the illegal online sale of Oral Nicotine Pouches.

• The Problem: Companies are secretly selling these pouches on the internet without any health department approval.
• The Warning: Health experts have issued a public alert because these products are highly addictive and extremely dangerous for school and college students.

2. What are Nicotine Pouches? (The Basics)

To understand why these are bad for society, look at how they are made and used:

• The Product: They look like tiny, white tea bags. Inside, they are filled with pure, highly addictive nicotine powder and sweet flavours like mint, mango, or strawberry.
• How it is Used: People do not smoke or swallow them. They just keep the small pouch between their lip and gum. The chemical melts and enters the blood directly through the soft skin inside the mouth.
• The Massive Overdose: Doctors sometimes give very mild nicotine chewing gums (containing just 2 mg of nicotine) to help heavy smokers quit the habit. However, these illegal pouches contain up to 50 mg of nicotine. This is a massive and highly dangerous dose that immediately hooks the brain.

3. Why is India Worried? (UPSC Focus)

• Targeting School Children: Because these pouches have sweet flavours, produce zero smoke, and have no smell, young students can easily hide and use them inside classrooms or at home without parents ever finding out.
• Cheating the Law: In 2019, India successfully banned e-cigarettes (vapes) to protect the youth. Now, the tobacco industry is using these hidden pouches as a new trick to keep the younger generation addicted to nicotine.
• Severe Health Damage: Taking such a high amount of nicotine completely damages a growing child’s brain, causes severe heart problems, and ruins their teeth and gums permanently.

UPSC Value Box

With reference to the regulation of nicotine products in India, consider the following statements:

1. The Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act (PECA), 2019 completely bans the sale and advertisement of e-cigarettes in India.
2. Oral nicotine pouches send nicotine into the bloodstream directly through the skin inside the mouth.
3. In India, even low-dose medicinal nicotine gums used by doctors to help patients quit smoking are strictly banned.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer: (a)