Vape ban will worsen Delhi's smoking problem

Issued after the Delhi High Court directed the AAP government to urgently examine regulating e-cigarette sale, citing a survey finding one in three Delhi-NCR residents aged 15-50 smoke. Pulmonologist Dr Bharat Gopal said many of his patients fail at standard cessation tools and asked for a less harmful alternative to offer them; senior Delhi HC advocate Farrukh Khan argued an outright ban would violate Articles 14 and 21 by exempting cigarettes, the more harmful product, while banning a safer one.