Overview

• Mothers Against Vaping has filed formal appeals with the Union Health Ministry and CDSCO urging an immediate ban on all nicotine pouches and gums.
• The group alleges that global tobacco multinationals are acquiring or funding Indian pharmaceutical firms such as Fertin India and Lyrus Lifesciences to bypass tobacco control laws and win nicotine product licences.
• Nicotine pouches deliver between 1.5 and 8 milligrams of nicotine per pouch, with some versions containing up to 50 milligrams—equivalent to eight cigarettes—in discreet, flavored packets that appeal to adolescents.
• Health experts warn that nicotine exposure in teens can alter brain development, raise heart rates, impair immune function and disrupt sleep cycles.
• In addition to banning flavored variants, the coalition demands probes into licence applicants, the closure of Schedule K exemptions enabling over-the-counter sales and a nationwide awareness campaign to curb youth addiction.