All major cigarette manufacturers have shut their factories since April 1 to protest against the larger pictorial warning covering 85 per cent of the packaging space while claiming ambiguity in the policy relating to revision of graphic health warnings. While the move would only hurt them in terms of loss of production, besides affecting tobacco farmers who supply the raw material, it would be a fair assumption that corporate tobacco will fall in line soon enough. They have no choice, even if a parliamentary committee on subordinate legislation had described the new provisions as “too harsh”. The campaign against tobacco use has gained such momentum that the regulations on warnings have become prevalent worldwide, with neighbouring countries like Nepal, Thailand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, too, making larger warnings mandatory.
While there is no denying the freedom of an individual to smoke, it is up to big tobacco to toe the line on the larger warning as it is a cost-effective way to reduce tobacco use. Where the Indian laws seem so mixed up is that while the well-regulated industry conforms to all laws and regulations, not enough is done about the bidi industry. The grounds for not regulating as stringently the sale of traditional smoking tobacco, like bidis, and smokeless products like chewing tobacco and snuff are too flimsy. They cause as much havoc to health, if not more. To be effective, measures have to warn users about the hazards of all forms of tobacco. The cost to national health has been estimated at more than a million deaths annually attributable to tobacco use and costing over Rs1 lakh crore a year.
