Tobacco packets to devote 85 per cent space to warnings

India has made it mandatory for tobacco companies to devote 85 per cent space on packets of cigarettes and other tobacco products to warnings against the ill effects of tobacco consumption.

"We have issued a notification to ensure that in the next few months cigarette manufacturers have 85 per cent space on packets covered with either pictorial warnings or messages warning against the perils of tobacco use," Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan announced in New Delhi at a function on the occasion of global hand washing day.

The guidelines would come into effect from April 1, 2015. 

As of now, tobacco companies are required to devote only 40 per cent of the space on packets to pictorial warnings against tobacco use.

Mr Harsh Vardhan said, "In my career as a doctor, I have seen smokers and tobacco users die in front of me. We should do whatever we can to make people aware."

With this, India will join Thailand where 85 percent of space on packs of cigarette and other tobacco products is covered with warnings. 

India will now rank first in the list of 198 countries that warn smokers about the hazards of smoking through graphic pictures on cigarette packets.

In Australia, it is 82.5 per cent and in Uruguay, it 80 per cent. 

India's ranking had dropped down to 136 out of 198 among countries, which include pictorial health warnings on cigarette packets.

According to the notification issued: "The specified health warning shall cover at least 85 per cent of the principal display area of the package, of which 60 percent shall cover pictorial health warning and 25 percent shall cover textual health warning and shall be positioned on the top edge of the package".

For packages containing smoking forms of tobacco, the pictorial warnings would be of throat cancer, and for chewable tobacco products, they would be of mouth cancer.

The notification said the health warnings shall be expressed in English or any Indian language. 

"The specified health warning on tobacco product packages shall be rotated every 24 months from the date of commencement of these rules or before the period of rotation as may be specified by the central government notification," it said.

"The size of all components of the specified health warning shall be increased proportionally according to increase in package size to ensure that the specified health warning covers 85 percent of the principal display area".

Source: NDTV

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TFK stall at Clean Campus Trivandrum Regional Meet

TFK's stall set up at the venue of Trivandrum Regional Meet of Clean Campus, Safe Campus on 10 October 2014 evinced enthusiastic participation of students and bureaucrats alike.

Visitors thronged our stall and eagerly wrote their comments in the 'Have Your Say' wall. 

Posters were specially designed wherein key stakeholders could write their views on implementing the ban on sale of tobacco products around schools.

Under Section 6 (b) of Indian tobacco control law, COTPA, 2003, sale of tobacco products is prohibited in an area within a radius of 100 yards of an educational institution. 

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Tobacco control: Health custodians congratulate Kerala Police

Senior custodians of health across the state have heaped praises on Kerala Police for their role in preventive health by tightening enforcement of the tobacco control law COTPA, 2003 that is aimed at protecting public from the many harms of tobacco use. COTPA violations check by Kerala Police for the May-July 2014 quarter has gone up by 64 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Dr. Ramdas Pisharody, Principal, Trivandrum Medical College, congratulating the Trivandrum City Police for making the college area smoke-free said,  “This concerted effort by the police force to safeguard the lives of thousands who visit the hospital every day by enforcing COTPA is very laudable. Owing to high literacy levels and penetration of mass media in Kerala, awareness that smoking and tobacco use is harmful to health is very high among our people. Yet, people continue to smoke away causing harm not only to their health but also of others. Tough enforcement of laws together with counselling by doctors is the need of the hour to arrest the preventable damage to public health from tobacco use.”

The Trivandrum City Police, as a part of the collective exercise led by the District Administration to make the district model COTPA compliant, recently declared the Medical College police circle smoke free.

Ernakulam and Kozhikode districts are also in the fray to become model COTPA compliant. Multi-stakeholder efforts in these two districts are led by the District Collectors with active support from the police and other enforcement agencies.  

According to Dr. VP Gangadharan, pioneer medical oncologist and HoD of Medical and Paediatric Oncology, Lakeshore Hospital, Kochi, tobacco induced oral cancers is on the rise in Kerala. “Youngsters are increasingly developing an affinity for tobacco products, which are a definitive causative factor for mouth and throat cancers.”

Complimenting the Kerala Police for their action to curb tobacco use through noble endeavours such as model COTPA compliant districts, he said, “All sections of the society should support the police and other enforcement officials to ensure that no sale of tobacco products happen around any educational institution in Kerala, from primary schools to institutions of higher education.”

Section 6 (b) of COTPA prohibits the sale of tobacco products around 100 yards (91.4 metres) of any educational institution.

Dr MN Krishnan, Prof and Head, Department of Cardiology, Government Medical College, Kozhikode feels that by working to control tobacco use through enforcing the law, police are not just helping to save lives but supporting the state’s economy as well.

“The economic burden to Kerala from tobacco use is very high; a study for the year 2011 found it is the highest for cardiovascular diseases at Rs 226 crores. This is precious resources going down the drain. Police, by acting against tobacco use, are doing a productive service not just to public health but also to our economy’s health.” 

He added that the fine amount collected by the police and other enforcement agencies should be pumped in for tobacco control measures.

From 16,363 challans for COTPA violations during May-July 2013, police have strengthened efforts and have fined/challaned 26,797 persons during May-July 2014, as per Kerala Police website. Fine amount collected from COTPA violators have also increased by 115 per cent in the same period. From Rs 2,270,950 in 2013, it rose to Rs 4,877,550 in 2014. 

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