The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Pictorial warnings on tobacco packs from December 1

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Nov 24, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Pictorial warnings on tobacco packs from December 1

Santosh Patnaik

VISAKHAPATNAM: Public health activists are excited as the deadline set by the Centre for making mandatory display of pictorial warnings on cigarette and other tobacco packs on the damage caused to human life from December 1 is nearing.

Albeit under pressure from the tobacco industry, the public health institutes and anti-tobacco campaigners are stepping up efforts to impress upon the government to implement the warnings without any extension.

As of now, 12 countries have introduced pictorial warnings with images of life-threatening diseases caused by tobacco. “We are very happy that the pictorial warnings will be introduced in our country from December 1 and it would help reduce consumption of tobacco manifold,” says Dr. P.C. Gupta, Director, Healis – Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health.

The organisation works for improving public health in India and other developing countries. He told The Hindu that results have shown that pictorial warnings reduced the consumption significantly in Canada, Australia, South Africa and Singapore. UK is also in the process of introducing it. Earlier, the Centre put on hold its decision on display of skull and bone on beedis due to pressure from political parties over its possible impact on workers engaged by beedi industry during the by-polls for Karimnagar Lok Sabha seat.Tobacco consumption claims 2,500 deaths a day in India. Hence, such a mandatory rule will benefit a lot, feels physician Kutikuppala Surya Rao. The awareness level, particularly in the rural areas where reverse smoking of locally made `chutta’ (cherooot made of strong tobacco), is popular, is almost negligible.

Apart from pictorial warnings, details will also be given on the packs on how smoking kills not only the addicts but also passive smokers. Dr. Gupta hopes that the industry will sell only those products which display warning labels, and excuses like unclear instructions, inability to change the machinery quickly and excesses in old stocks should not be entertained.

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