VOA慢速英语2019 印度出台行政命令禁止电子烟（在线收听）

India Bans Electronic Cigarettes

India has banned the sale of electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes. The ban is the latest and possibly biggest move against vaping.

印度已经禁止销售电子烟。该禁令是针对吸电子烟的最新以及可能最大的举措。

Vapes are electronic devices that heat liquid into a cloud of vapor that users breathe in. Most users vape with a liquid that includes the drug nicotine, several other chemicals and flavoring.

电子烟是一种将液体加热成蒸汽供用户吸入的电子设备。大多数用户吸入了包含尼古丁药物以及多种化学物质和调味剂的液体。

The ban cuts off a huge market for e-cigarette makers such as Juul Labs and Philip Morris International. Both companies planned to expand in India.

该禁令切断了尤尔实验室和菲利浦莫里斯国际等电子烟制造商的巨大市场。这两家公司都计划开拓印度市场。

India’s health ministry said the products are “novel,” attractive and come in many flavors, but said their use has increased very quickly “in developed countries, especially among youth and children.”

印度卫生部表示，这些产品都很新颖、具有吸引力，并且有多种口味，但是该部门表示，这些产品在发达国家，尤其是青少年中的使用迅速增加。

The ban comes at a time when public officials in other countries are raising questions about the safety of vaping.

这项禁令出台之际，其它国家的公职人员也在对吸电子烟的安全性提出质疑。

Last week, United States government announced plans to remove flavored e-cigarettes from stores. Federal officials warned that sweet flavors were leading millions of children into nicotine addiction.

上周，美国政府宣布计划将电子烟从超市下架。联邦官员警告说，它的香甜口味导致数百万儿童对尼古丁成瘾。

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar made the announcement during an appearance with President Donald Trump. A few state governments are also taking action. The state of Michigan banned the sale of flavored e-cigarettes on Wednesday.

美国卫生与公共服务部部长亚历克斯·阿扎尔与川普总统一起露面时宣布了这一消息。一些州政府也在采取行动。密歇根州周三禁止了调味电子烟的销售。

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said the ban was effective immediately. It gave dealers including online sellers two weeks to obey the measure. On Tuesday, New York officially became the first state to ban e-cigarettes when officials approved a series of emergency rules.

密歇根州卫生与公共服务部表示，这项禁令立即生效。它给包括网上卖家在内的销售商提供了两周时间来遵守这项法案。纽约州官员周二批准了一系列紧急措施，纽约州成为第一个禁止电子烟的州。

India reportedly has 106 million adult smokers. That number is second only to China in the world.

据报道印度有1.06亿成年烟民。这一数字仅次于中国。

Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the ban Wednesday at a news conference. She showed different kinds of products to the media, including a Juul vaping device that looks like a USB flash drive.

印度财政部长尼尔马拉·西塔拉曼周三在新闻发布会上宣布了这项禁令。她向媒体展示了各种产品，其中包括看起来像是U盘的尤尔电子烟设备。

Juul had plans to launch its e-cigarette in India and has hired several top-level officials in recent months. Reuters had reported that Philip Morris also plans to launch its smoking device in India.

尤尔公司曾计划在印度推出电子烟，并在最近几个月聘请了几位高级职员。据路透社报道，菲利浦莫里斯公司也计划在印度推出其电子烟设备。

The Indian ban will be imposed through an executive order.

印度将通过行政命令的方式实施这项禁令。

The order calls for a jail term of up to one year and a fine of about $1,400 for people who break the law for the first time. A repeat violation could mean a jail term of up to three years and a fine of up to $7000, the government said.

该命令将对首次触犯该法律的人士处以最长1年的监禁以及大约1400美元的罚款。印度政府表示，再次触犯可能会处以最长3年的监禁以及最高7000美元的罚款。

The ban would apply to the manufacture, importation, sale, advertisement for or distribution of e-cigarettes.

这项禁令适用于电子烟的制造、进口、销售、广告或是分销。

Such executive orders are usually given as an emergency measure when India’s parliament is not meeting. The ban could end if it is not approved when lawmakers return to parliament. The next parliamentary term will likely be held in November.

这类行政命令通常作为印度议会休会期间的紧急措施。如果该禁令在议员回归议会时未能获得批准就会终止执行。下轮议会议程可能将于11月举行。

I’m Jonathan Evans.

Words in This Story

addiction – n. a strong and harmful need to regularly have something such as a drug or do something such as gamble

flavoring – n. a substance that is added to a food or drink to give it a desired taste

novel – adj. new and different from what has been known before

vapor – n. a substance that is in the form of a gas or that consists of very small drops or particles mixed with the air