India has firmly ruled out any relaxation of its existing India e-cigarette ban, rejecting years of lobbying by global tobacco major Philip Morris International to allow heat-not-burn tobacco products in the country. The decision reinforces New Delhi’s hard stance on tobacco control and delivers a setback to the company’s plans to introduce its flagship heated tobacco device, IQOS, into one of the world’s largest cigarette markets.
Government Rejects Any Policy Change
Responding to queries from Reuters, India’s Ministry of Health made it clear that the India e-cigarette ban imposed in 2019 will remain unchanged.
“The government of India is not considering revoking, amending, or relaxing this ban,” the ministry said, adding that the law explicitly prohibits e-cigarettes as well as heat-not-burn tobacco products.
The ministry underlined that alternative tobacco devices are strictly prohibited and that India is still dedicated to “evidence-based tobacco control and cessation measures.”
A Crucial Market for the Tobacco Industry
India is the world’s seventh-largest cigarette market by volume, with more than 100 billion cigarettes sold annually. Tobacco use kills over a million people in the country every year, making public health a central driver behind the India e-cigarette ban.
India was seen by Philip Morris International as a potentially large market for IQOS, a product that the company says is safer than ordinary cigarettes because it warms tobacco rather than burns it. Indian officials, however, have continuously insisted that these products continue to present health hazards and may jeopardize long-term tobacco control objectives.
Inside the Lobbying Effort
According to a Reuters analysis of private business email from 2021 to 2025, Philip Morris discreetly pressured a parliamentary body and senior Indian officials. The business asked lawmakers to examine research on heated tobacco products and think about allowing them to be exempt from India’s e-cigarette ban.
Additionally, during the World Economic Forum in January, Philip Morris executives were pictured with representatives of the Indian state government. The discussions were said to center on developing long-term value in the tobacco industry through so-called smoke-free goods.
Philip Morris Defends Engagement
Philip Morris stated that it “regularly engages with governments around the world” to discuss smoke-free alternatives and their potential public health implications, although a company representative declined to directly comment on the ministry’s most recent remark.
The company’s CEO, Jacek Olczak, called India’s stance “illogical” in a Reuters interview, claiming that while vapes and heated tobacco are prohibited, cigarettes are still legal. Although he admitted that the market is still closed, he revealed that he has spoken with a number of Indian stakeholders.
Public Health Versus Harm Reduction Debate
Supporters of the India e-cigarette ban argue that allowing heated tobacco products could normalize nicotine consumption, attract younger users, and weaken existing anti-tobacco campaigns. Independent data does not definitively demonstrate that these devices are safe or effective for population-level cessation, according to statements made by Indian health officials on numerous occasions.
Tobacco corporations, on the other hand, present goods like IQOS as harm-reduction strategies for adult smokers who would otherwise keep smoking cigarettes. India has taken a cautious stance in this ongoing global discussion.
What Lies Ahead?
By reaffirming the India e-cigarette ban, New Delhi has signaled that public health priorities will outweigh commercial pressures from multinational tobacco firms. Despite India’s enormous market potential, Philip Morris and other businesses that provide heated tobacco products currently face locked doors.
Additionally, by establishing a precedent that may have an impact on other developing countries facing comparable policy decisions, the ruling solidifies India’s standing as one of the strictest regulators of alternative tobacco products globally.
Also Read :- India Tightens Online Oversight with Three-Hour Content Removal Mandate