The Tobacco Trap: How flawed policies are undermining India's fight against addiction
14 hours, 44 minutes ago

The Tobacco Trap: How flawed policies are undermining India's fight against addiction

India Today  

In 2023, India became the first country in the world to mandate anti-tobacco warnings on Over-The-Top streaming platforms, such as Netflix and Amazon Prime. Despite early adoption of the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and enacting the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act in 2003, India remains one of the world’s largest consumers of tobacco, with almost 300 million users, mostly reliant on smokeless tobacco. India’s Tobacco Control Problem: A Policy Failure India’s tobacco control policies, underpinned by Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act and the National Tobacco Control Programme, have focused predominantly on awareness and punitive deterrence. In the government’s 2022 Report on Tobacco Control in India, the then Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya highlighted India’s status as a “global leader” in tobacco control, citing the reduction of overall tobacco use from 34.6 per cent in 2009-10 to 28.6 per cent in 2016-17. While tobacco use among adolescents declined by 42.5 per cent between 2010 and 2019 according to the Global Youth Tobacco Survey, the absolute number of users remains staggeringly high, driven by India’s massive population base and rising youth demographic.

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History of this topic

Kicking the habit of smoking: Exploring safer alternatives for tobacco cessation in India
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Kicking the habit of smoking: Exploring safer alternatives for tobacco cessation in India

Hindustan Times  

The fight against tobacco addiction is a critical public health endeavour, with a profound impact on the lives of millions and in India, despite concerted efforts, the prevalence of smoking remains alarmingly high, posing significant risks to individuals’ health and placing a burden on the healthcare system. Kicking the habit of smoking: Exploring safer alternatives for tobacco cessation in India …

Crack down on smuggled cigarettes, Tobacco Board officials urge Centre
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Crack down on smuggled cigarettes, Tobacco Board officials urge Centre

The Hindu  

Tobacco Board of India chairman Yashwant Kumar Chidipothu and vice-chairman G. Vasu Babu urged the Centre to crack down on the menace of illegal cigarettes, alleging that they comprise 26% of India’s cigarette market. Mr. Yashwanth told The Hindu over phone that the sale of illegal cigarettes which are smuggled into the country pose a severe risk to the local …

The tobacco epidemic in India
6 months, 3 weeks ago

The tobacco epidemic in India

The Hindu  

Tobacco is the most widely recognised preventable cause of disease and death in the world. The status of tobacco use in India The Global Adult Tobacco Survey, the Global Youth Tobacco Survey, and India’s National Family Health Survey capture the status of tobacco use in India. The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act 2003 has 33 sections governing the production, …

Tobacco use causes 80 lakh deaths annually worldwide: Docs
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Tobacco use causes 80 lakh deaths annually worldwide: Docs

Hindustan Times  

Even a chance encounter with tobacco can lead to addiction gradually. Heart issues such as myocardial infarction and angina are related to tobacco usage along with high blood pressure and bronchitis,” said Dr Sudhir Singh, senior faculty department of radiotherapy at the King George’s Medical University in a statement. Tobacco use is responsible for over 80 lakh deaths annually worldwide, …

WHO asks governments to protect children from tobacco industry interference
6 months, 3 weeks ago

WHO asks governments to protect children from tobacco industry interference

New Indian Express  

NEW DELHI: The WHO on Thursday called for the need to protect children from the interference of the tobacco industry after a data revealed that around 11 million adolescents were found to be various tobacco products in the Southeast region. On the occasion of World No Tobacco Day, WHO claimed that the youths across the world were demanding that the …

India's Tobacco Crisis: 1% GDP lost, 49% young adults smoke, per KPMG report
6 months, 3 weeks ago

India's Tobacco Crisis: 1% GDP lost, 49% young adults smoke, per KPMG report

Hindustan Times  

New Delhi, May 24: India’s growth story has amazed economists and financial experts. A report by KPMG Assurance and Consulting Services report titled Human-Centric Approach to Tobacco Control has revealed that India loses precious 1% of the GDP every year due to diseases and early deaths from tobacco use. India ranks second globally in tobacco and it is the highly …

From Lungs to Kidneys: Tobacco's Devastating Health Impact
7 months ago

From Lungs to Kidneys: Tobacco's Devastating Health Impact

Deccan Chronicle  

Understanding the Impact of Tobacco on Kidney Health Tobacco is a significant risk factor for chronic kidney disease. India's Tobacco Production and Diversification Effort In addition to being a major consumer of tobacco, India stands as the second-largest producer globally, manufacturing 761,335 tons. In 2022, India's unmanufactured tobacco production stood at approximately 2 thousand tons, representing 13.4% of the global …

UK set to ban tobacco sales for a ‘smoke-free’ generation. Will it work?
8 months ago

UK set to ban tobacco sales for a ‘smoke-free’ generation. Will it work?

Al Jazeera  

The UK’s smoking ban aims to phase out sales of tobacco, which is one of the main causes of cancer deaths in Britain. Parliament approved the government’s “historic” plans to create a “smoke-free” generation on Tuesday in a bid to reduce the number of people dying from smoking-related diseases, a big burden on the country’s publicly funded National Health Service. …

Anti Tobacco Forum criticises waiver of penalty on cultivation of unauthorized tobacco
10 months, 3 weeks ago

Anti Tobacco Forum criticises waiver of penalty on cultivation of unauthorized tobacco

The Hindu  

The Anti Tobacco Forum, Mysuru, has criticised the Centre’s decision to waive the penalty on the excess and unauthorised tobacco cultivated by farmers in Karnataka during the 2023-24 crop season. Terming the Centre’s recent decision to allow the farmers to sell the excess and unauthorised tobacco without penalty during the ensuing crop season as “violation of WHO’s Framework Convention on …

India and the global battle against tobacco on OTT platforms
1 year, 4 months ago

India and the global battle against tobacco on OTT platforms

Hindustan Times  

Last World No Tobacco Day, May 31, 2023, India took a momentous stride in combatting the grave consequences of tobacco consumption. Tobacco use causes debilitating diseases such as cancer, lung disease, cardiovascular issues, and stroke, claiming a staggering 1.35 million lives annually in India alone. Introducing groundbreaking regulations, any film featuring tobacco use was mandated to incorporate a warning and …

BJP MP Manoj Tiwari calls for immediate curb on smoking scenes in OTT programmes
1 year, 4 months ago

BJP MP Manoj Tiwari calls for immediate curb on smoking scenes in OTT programmes

Deccan Chronicle  

New Delhi: Smoking scenes have become a trend in programmes on OTT platforms, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari has said in Parliament and called for immediate action to curb the propagation of tobacco on online curated content. Taking part in a discussion in the Lok Sabha on the Cinematograph Amendment Bill on Monday, he said actors, directors, scriptwriters and the audience …

Karnataka tobacco growers oppose suggestions for levy on tobacco products
1 year, 5 months ago

Karnataka tobacco growers oppose suggestions for levy on tobacco products

The Hindu  

The Federation of Karnataka Virginia Tobacco Growers’ Associations has opposed suggestions on imposition of additional on tobacco products. In a statement here, association president B.V. Javare Gowda referred to reports appearing in a section of the media on the suggestions for additional levy on tobacco products as ‘disposal levy’ and said any imposition of additional tax on tobacco products will …

World No Tobacco Day 2023: Health insurance for smokers in India; all you need to know
1 year, 6 months ago

World No Tobacco Day 2023: Health insurance for smokers in India; all you need to know

Live Mint  

Every year on May 31, the World No Tobacco Day campaign works to raise public awareness on the risks of tobacco use and to advocate appropriate tobacco control policies. Understanding how health insurance might help smokers is vital in India, where smoking is still a major public health risk. Health insurance features available for smokers Smokers can still benefit from …

Anti-Tobacco Forum seeks tobacco control strategies in manifestoes of political parties
1 year, 9 months ago

Anti-Tobacco Forum seeks tobacco control strategies in manifestoes of political parties

The Hindu  

The Anti-Tobacco Fourm, Mysuru, has urged political parties to come out with tobacco control strategies in their respective manifestoes to be released ahead of the coming Assembly elections in Karnataka. The Anti-Tobacco Forum has appealed to all political parties to make their stand clear on tobacco control strategies since consumption of smoke and non-smoke tobacco products has reached an epidemic …

Why 16% tax on cigarettes won't stop explosion of tobacco related cancers in India
1 year, 10 months ago

Why 16% tax on cigarettes won't stop explosion of tobacco related cancers in India

India Today  

Tobacco taxation in India has always had discrepancies, and the Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today did not address those discrepancies at all. DEVIL IN THE DETAILS "The 16 per cent increase in NCCD announced in the union budget effectively increases the overall taxes on cigarettes by only about 1.8 per cent, and its expected impact on the …

Despite ban, e-cigarettes remain major health challenge in India: Study
1 year, 10 months ago

Despite ban, e-cigarettes remain major health challenge in India: Study

India Today  

A new study indicates that e-cigarettes remain a major public health challenge in India despite bans from the government, which were aimed at protecting youth from vaping-related harms. The study conducted by researchers from The George Institute for Global Health aimed to "examine educated young adults’ e-cigarette-related attitudes and behaviors and their support for various e-cigarette control policies." Greater education …

Revisit the tax treatment of tobacco products
1 year, 10 months ago

Revisit the tax treatment of tobacco products

The Hindu  

Adam Smith, in his famous work The Wealth of Nations, argued that commodities such as sugar, rum and tobacco, though not necessary for life, are widely consumed, and thus good candidates for taxation. However, in India, tobacco taxes have not increased significantly since the implementation of the Goods and Services Taxation over five years ago, making these products increasingly affordable, …

ICAR wants research on low-nicotine tobacco
1 year, 10 months ago

ICAR wants research on low-nicotine tobacco

Deccan Chronicle  

KAKINADA: ICAR deputy director general Dr. Tilak Raj Sharma on Friday asked Central Tobacco Research Institute to develop tobacco varieties that grow within a shorter duration and have low nicotine content. Addressing a two-day XII Group Meeting of All India Network Research Project on Tobacco, jointly organised by ICAR and CTRI, Tilak Raj underlined that tobacco is a model crop …

‘Govt’s losses surged in past decade on illicit trade of tobacco products, alcoholic beverages’
2 years ago

‘Govt’s losses surged in past decade on illicit trade of tobacco products, alcoholic beverages’

Live Mint  

New Delhi: The Centre’s loss on taxes on tobacco products and alcoholic beverages rose over three times during 2010-20 due to illicit trade of the products, as per a Ficci-CASCADE’s 2022 report. Titled ‘Illicit Markets: A Threat to Our National Interests’, the report said that the estimated tax loss to the government due to illicit goods in five key industries …

India Cracked Down on Tobacco Smoking But 'Paan Masala' Brands Still Enjoy Celebrity Endorsement
2 years, 6 months ago

India Cracked Down on Tobacco Smoking But 'Paan Masala' Brands Still Enjoy Celebrity Endorsement

News 18  

Despite the widespread awareness of the associated harms, tobacco usage continues to be one of the most serious health challenges in India. India actually faces a more acute health burden due to smokeless tobacco products such as gutka, paan, paan masala, khaini and zarda. Dual Burden of Smoking and Smokeless Tobacco in India Tobacco use contributes to over 9.5 per …

Maharashtra has most tobacco users who plan to quit: Survey
2 years, 6 months ago

Maharashtra has most tobacco users who plan to quit: Survey

Hindustan Times  

Mumbai A nationwide survey, as a part of a worldwide survey on the impact of tobacco control policies, showed that although in the last decade, the awareness of cigarette health warnings increased in India, there is low awareness of quitline numbers on cigarette packets. The survey was done under the Tobacco Control Programme India project by Healis-Sekhsaria Institute for Public …

Smoking causes over seven million deaths a year
2 years, 8 months ago

Smoking causes over seven million deaths a year

The Hindu  

As per the estimates of WHO 1.3 billion people who smoke, and 80% of them live in low and middle- income countries. Smoking is thus an epidemic and a great public health threat, killing over eight million people around the year. Over seven million of these people die due to direct tobacco use, and 1.2 million non-smokers who are exposed …

Revive tax increases, stub out tobacco product use
2 years, 9 months ago

Revive tax increases, stub out tobacco product use

The Hindu  

Despite a relatively high degree of societal attention and debate spurring on the pace of COVID-19 vaccine development, the novel coronavirus pandemic has continued to remain a serious public health concern worldwide. Lost opportunity In short, there has been no significant tax increase on any tobacco product for four years in a row which is quite unlike the pre-GST years …

Extinguishing the tobacco industry’s main narrative
2 years, 11 months ago

Extinguishing the tobacco industry’s main narrative

The Hindu  

Tobacco is a product that kills more than 13 lakh Indians every year. The narrative of “increasing illicit trade” is something the tobacco industry has historically used to pre-empt potential tax increases on tobacco products in most countries around the world. Exaggerating both the scale and the extent of illicit trade has been a means the tobacco industry has used …

Low tobacco tax, poor health
3 years ago

Low tobacco tax, poor health

The Hindu  

In India, 28.6% of adults above 15 years and 8.5% of students aged 13-15 years use tobacco in some form or the other. Yet, there has been no major increase in taxation of tobacco products to discourage the consumption of tobacco in the past four years since the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax in 2017 except for a …

The Consumer Protection Act 2019 May Fortify Tobacco Control Regime
3 years ago

The Consumer Protection Act 2019 May Fortify Tobacco Control Regime

Live Law  

The World Health Organisation reports that the tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced. Efforts to control tobacco use in India were exhilarated by enacting Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act in 2003 and ratification of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2004. However, notification of the new Consumer Protection …

2 Years of Vaping Ban in India: Some Scientists Say it's Time for a Review
3 years, 3 months ago

2 Years of Vaping Ban in India: Some Scientists Say it's Time for a Review

The Quint  

In this clutter of misinformation, the scientifically sound public health communication would be that if you are a non-smoker, avoid any nicotine-containing product; if you smoke, try to quit, and if you cannot or are not willing to give up nicotine use, reduce harm by switching to the least harmful options available such as vaping, snus or heated tobacco. We …

Over a quarter of students exposed to second-hand smoke: survey
3 years, 4 months ago

Over a quarter of students exposed to second-hand smoke: survey

The Hindu  

More than 29% of students in India were exposed to second-hand smoke, said the Global Youth Tobacco Survey, India, 2019, which was released by Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday. The National Fact Sheet said there has been a 42% decline in tobacco use among 13-15 year-old school going children in last decade. It added that use of any form …

World No Tobacco Day: Prevent Lung Cancer by Quitting Smoking Right Now
3 years, 6 months ago

World No Tobacco Day: Prevent Lung Cancer by Quitting Smoking Right Now

News 18  

Smoking is considered to be the most preventable cause of cancer and cancer deaths. Quitting smoking has many health benefits including reduced risk of cancer and also helps improve prognosis of cancer patients. Tobacco usage not only causes lung cancer but also causes cancers of the mouth and throat, voice box, esophagus, stomach, kidney, pancreas, bladder to mention a few. …

Pass Cigarettes And Other Tobacco Products (Amendment) Bill And Make India, A livelier And Less Smoky Place
3 years, 6 months ago

Pass Cigarettes And Other Tobacco Products (Amendment) Bill And Make India, A livelier And Less Smoky Place

Live Law  

As a member of World Health Organisation community, India observes 'World No Tobacco Day' on May 31 every year to highlight the colossal health risks associated with the use of tobacco. So let's use this Day as a launching pad to pass Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Bill " Amendment Bill" and make a livelier and less smoky India. The …

‘Withdraw COTPA Amendment Bill’
3 years, 11 months ago

‘Withdraw COTPA Amendment Bill’

The Hindu  

The proposed Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act Amendment Bill, 2020 has drawn flak from the Federation of All India Farmers’ Associations on the grounds that the amendments would adversely impact legal cigarette trade while giving a huge boost to the ‘ever-growing illicit cigarette business in India’. FAIFA, a non-profit organisation representing the cause of farmers and farm workers of …

Farmers' body FAIFA asks PM to withdraw bill on cigarette, tobacco
3 years, 11 months ago

Farmers' body FAIFA asks PM to withdraw bill on cigarette, tobacco

India TV News  

Farmers' body FAIFA on Wednesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to recall the proposed bill to amend the law regarding cigarettes and other tobacco products saying it will be a death knell for Indian tobacco farmers. The proposed COTPA Amendment Bill 2020 will provide huge boost to the ever-growing illicit cigarette business in India and will adversely impact the legal …

Tobacco control: Voluntary groups seek focus on health by civic bodies
4 years, 1 month ago

Tobacco control: Voluntary groups seek focus on health by civic bodies

The Hindu  

Voluntary groups working for tobacco control in Rajasthan have sought a renewed focus on public health by the civic bodies through a licensing mechanism for retail sellers. A day after the polling in the first phase for the municipal corporation elections in three cities, the voluntary groups said the newly elected councillors should take measures for improving health with a …

Curbs on tobacco products will help the fight against Covid, boost the economy
4 years, 2 months ago

Curbs on tobacco products will help the fight against Covid, boost the economy

Hindustan Times  

The Covid-19 pandemic has pushed us to adapt to a new normal, retrospect on underlying behaviours towards health and shun old harmful habits that are detrimental to one’s health and that of others. In India, an estimated 1.3 million deaths are accounted for as due to the use of tobacco A recent review of studies by public health experts convened …

Bhutan Has Lifted Tobacco Ban and India’s Rising Covid-19 Cases are to Blame for it
4 years, 3 months ago

Bhutan Has Lifted Tobacco Ban and India’s Rising Covid-19 Cases are to Blame for it

News 18  

The remote Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, known for embracing gross national happiness and outlawing television until 1999, has now made the unusual decision to reverse a ban on the sale of tobacco, blaming coronavirus. The country of about 750,000 banned the sale, manufacture and distribution of tobacco in 2010 but allowed smokers to import controlled amounts of tobacco products after …

Tobacco Industry's Request to Declare Tobacco as Res Extra Commercium Ignites Debate
6 years, 10 months ago

Tobacco Industry's Request to Declare Tobacco as Res Extra Commercium Ignites Debate

Live Law  

The Supreme Court is set to hear a case on the implementation of pictorial health warnings on tobacco products. The case challenges the state's action to impose restrictions and prohibitions on tobacco, given its colossal public health burden. The Supreme Court will have the opportunity to close the matter for once and all in the larger interest of the health …

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