The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : ‘Stub out tobacco products near educational institutions’

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 30, 2009
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

‘Stub out tobacco products near educational institutions’

Staff Reporter

50 per cent of PU arts students in Bangalore are smokers

Sale of tobacco, tobacco products is regulated within 100 yards of educational institutions
At least 18 colleges have tobacco selling points within 100 yards of their campus

BANGALORE: The Karnataka High Court on Monday directed the State Government to implement anti-tobacco laws relating to distribution and sale of tobacco and tobacco products within 100 yards of educational institutions and curbing sale of cigarettes and tobacco to minors.

The court also directed the authorities to issue directions to all educational institutions to adhere to provision of Section 6 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003 more popularly known as COTPA. This Act regulates sale of cigarettes and tobacco products to minors.

Section 6 of the Act clearly mandates that no cigarettes or tobacco products shall be sold to any person under 18 years in an area within 100 yards of an educational institution.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice P.D. Dinakaran and Justice V.G. Sabhahit passed the order on a public interest litigation (PIL) petition by Cancer Patients Aid Association seeking implementation of Section 6 of the Act to check growing use of tobacco by the younger generation.

It said tobacco is the second largest killer in the world and 5.4 million people are suffering from cancer. Tobacco use is a risk factor for six of the eight leading causes of death in the world. In India alone, smoking caused 7 lakh deaths this year and every day 2,500 die of tobacco use.

The association placed two studies detailing the ill-effects of tobacco use. It said an all-India survey taken up in 2006 had covered 12,086 students from 180 educational institutions and 14.1 per cent of them said they had chewed tobacco when they were in the age group of 13 to 15 years. It said tobacco consumption had not decreased in the last three years.

Bangalore study

Another study by the Institute of Public Health (IPH), Bangalore, shows that over 50 per cent of pre-university (PU) students pursuing courses in arts and humanities in Bangalore are smokers. The rules and advertisements to discourage the use of tobacco products by the youth have had no impact on students, the study says.

More shockingly, it says 58.9 per cent of students of arts and humanities, followed by 30.6 per cent and 10.6 per cent students of science and commerce streams, respectively, use tobacco products.

The study was conducted in two stages in 19 PU colleges on 1,087 students of first year PU (53 per cent) and second year PU (47 per cent). At least 18 colleges had one or more tobacco selling points within 100 yards of their campus. Many of those contacted did not know that the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2005 prohibits sale of tobacco products within 100 yards of any educational institution. Some 55.8 per cent of students said that peer pressure had influenced them to use tobacco products.

More than 30 per cent of the students claimed that their teachers were smokers, while 31.74 per cent said that at least one parent used tobacco products.

Eighteen per cent felt the need to smoke or consume tobacco when they saw film stars smoking or chewing gutkha in films.

The Bench directed the State Government to take all possible steps to ensure that tobacco and tobacco products are not sold 100 yards within educational institutions. It also wanted the authorities to put up sign boards warning users about the prohibition.

It asked the Government to file a report within six weeks and adjourned further hearing of the case.

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