The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Danger warning no deterrent

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Wednesday, Jun 17, 2009
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Danger warning no deterrent

S. Harpal Singh

Cigarette dealers do not fear drop in sales of tobacco products

‘Many users are not aware of the meaning of this mandatory warning; they would consume in any case’

ADILABAD: Life goes on as usual for both the consumers and sellers of tobacco and tobacco-based products despite the danger warning on cigarette, beedi or gutka packets as the case may be.

During the last 15 days since the regulation was imposed, only a few brands of beedies, cigarettes and gutkas have come into the markets in Adilabad with the warning printed on the packs.

Old stocks

The manufacturing companies will take a few more days to exhaust the old stocks before the new packs with the warning signs make an entry.

The wholesale dealers of tobacco products here are not in a mood to make special preparations fearing a sudden drop in sales of cigarettes or other harmful products once the new packs come into the market.

“I do not think that people will quit smoking because of the warning printed on it,” opines a distributor of a famous cigarette manufacturing company.

“Long ago, the government had come up with imposition of a similar statutory warning on cigarette packets. Did it cause a reduction in number of cigarette smokers in country,” he asks, in an effort to demonstrate the probable impact of the new regulation.

Optimistic note

A well-known dealer in tobacco products in town also airs the same opinion albeit with some optimism.

“The old ones may not quit consuming tobacco but there is a chance that the regulation may deter many new ones who are likely to take to the habit,” he opines.

Prakash, who runs a pan shop at the busy Collectorate Chowk, points out towards an interesting factor about the level of awareness among the people when it comes to consumption of tobacco.

“Unless I tell them about it, people think that I am selling a ‘duplicate’ gutka,” he says, displaying the pair of scorpions printed on the new stocks of a popular brand of gutka.

Prakash has to clarify that the scorpions are printed only as a warning while the gutka is genuine. “The customers want to satisfy themselves only about the genuineness of the gutka. They do not bother what the scorpions on the sachet mean,” he adds.

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Andhra Pradesh