The Association of Vapers India (AVI) has opposed the State government’s proposal to ban e-cigarettes.

Instead, the association, which represents e-cigarette users across the country, has called for a legislation to regulate the domain of alternatives to smoking including e-cigarettes.

Samrat Chowdhery, Director of AVI, said they were planning to meet the Health Secretary and submit 120 research papers on the use of electronic cigarettes.

Health Minister C. Vijaya Baskar had earlier announced in the Assembly that the State would ban e-cigarettes.

“Tobacco use is rising in Tamil Nadu. Banning a safer alternative like e-cigarettes is a wrong direction,” he told reporters on Friday.

“The ban would be a huge policy mistake. The State Government should bring in regulation to ensure that minors and non-smokers do not have access to e-cigarettes. UK, USA and Canada have regulated e-cigarettes. We are ready to support any regulation,” he said.