Cigarette Packs to Have 85% Space Devoted to Warnings

According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) report 2009-10, 34.6 percent of the adult population consumes tobacco in some form. Among minors (age 15-17), 9.6 percent minor consumed tobacco and most of them were able to easily purchase tobacco products. Further, it states that nearly 1 million people die in India every year due to tobacco use. These alarming statistics clearly indicate that there is an urgent need to monitor the tobacco epidemic and take stringent measures to control it. Keeping this in mind, India has made it mandatory for tobacco companies to devote 85 percent of the space on packets of cigarettes and other tobacco products to warnings against the ill effects of tobacco consumption."We have issued a notification to ensure that in the next few months cigarette manufacturers have 85 percent space on packets covered with either pictorial warnings or messages against the perils of tobacco use," said Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan. 60 percent of the space will consist of a pictorial health warning and 25 percent shall be text which will be positioned on the top edge of the package. Also, smoking tobacco will have pictorial warnings of throat cancer and chewable tobacco products of mouth cancer. In fact, the size of the packages may be increased to accomodate these warmings and make sure that they cover 85% of the principal display area.These health warnings can be expressed in English or any other Indian regional language. Warnings shall be rotated every 24 months from the date of commencement or as specified by the central government notification. These guidelines will come into effect from April 1, 2015. As per the current regulations, tobacco companies are required to devote only 40 percent of the space on packets to pictorial warnings against tobacco use. Harsh Vardhan further added, "In my career as a doctor, I have seen smokers and tobacco users die in front of me. We should do whatever we can to make people aware."Apart from India, Thailand also folllows the same rule where 85 percent of space on packs of cigarette and other tobacco products is covered with warnings. In Australia, it is 82.5 percent and in Uruguay, it is 80 percent.India's ranking had dropped down to 136 out of 198 countries that include such pictorial health warnings on cigarette packets. This move will place India at the number one position globally when it comes to warning people about the health hazards of tobacco consumption. With inputs from IANS