Patna: In the wake of the ban imposed by the Union Government on tobacco advertisements, the Indian tobacco industries have reoriented their strategies to hook and sustain young adults to be life long tobacco addicts, experts said.

Keeping in mind the legal age of 18 years for purchase and sale of tobacco, the tobacco industries have changed their marketing strategies and instead of direct advertisements, they are now sponsoring programmes attended by the youth, they said.

Chairman, School of Preventive Oncology, Dr Dhirendra Narayan Sinha expressed concern over the growing trend, saying that dance and cultural programmes attended by the youth are being sponsored by cigarette and gutka (flavoured chewing tobacco) companies like Godfrey Philips and Manickchand.

"Benson and Hedges Nights" are common features in the city pubs and discotheques frequently visited by young adults he said.

According to him, Indian Tobacco Company (ITC) had launched 40 up-market Wills Lifestyle stores in major towns and cities in the country during the last two years to promote their flagship cigarette brand "Wills" among the young generations.

Dr Sinha, who had conducted the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) in India, suggested a two-pronged strategy improving policies and programmes to combat the emerging industry strategies. The loopholes in the existing law should also be immediately corrected, he emphasised.

Dr Sinha further said while all 171 countries recognised that a comprehensive ban on advertising, promotion and sponsorship would reduce the consumption of tobacco products but unfortunately some major cigarette manufacturing countries strongly opposed the inclusion of an ad ban in the text.

During recent years several countries around the world have banned tobacco advertising, but the loopholes including indirect advertising in legislative texts undermine attempts to curb tobacco consumption. According to Dr Sinha, the distinction between direct and indirect advertising is no longer relevant and the industries were advertising their "brands" rather than products.

Tobacco companies were advertising more on the internet which was easily accessible to the youth, he said. Apart from the brand advertisement which was alluring youth towards tobacco, people specially children, belonging to economically backward class engaged in tobacco farming and production units of the tobacco companies were also getting trapped on tobacco habits. -- UNI

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