India bans e-cigarettes by executive order

India’s government has announced that it will ban e-cigarettes by cabinet decree, capping a disastrous week for the industry that has seen its potential global market shrink dramatically.

Nirmala Sitharaman, finance minister, announced India’s ban on 18 September—the same day that the media companies CBS, Viacom, and WarnerMedia banned e-cigarette advertising from their channels. CNN also announced an advertising ban last week.

India’s ban came two days after the online stores of Juul Labs, an e-cigarette maker, were delisted without explanation from Chinese websites. Juul, which has been accused by the US Food and Drug Administration of targeting a young demographic, had entered the Chinese market just days before. …