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EDITORIAL: Tobacco related harm in South Asia 

To deal with tobacco we must defy a tenet that an influential section of modern society holds dear--that unfettered commerce will deliver us all from want and suffering. South Asia suffers harm from tobacco on a scale that demands a vigorous response. And it provides examples of how to deal creatively with the problem...

Some South Asian countries have responded innovatively to control the harm caused by tobacco. The small kingdom of Bhutan is a pioneer. It has a tobacco control law dating from 1729, and is now moving unobtrusively to eradicate smoking and the trade in tobacco altogether. In the Maldives there are islands that have declared themselves completely tobacco free.2 The state of Arunachal Pradesh in India has banned the sale, distribution, and manufacture of tobacco products.10 There are no reports yet of a serious backlash to banning tobacco. Removing tobacco can be a community led enterprise, not a jackboot affair.

An altogether different approach, employed in Bangladesh and India, is the use of public interest litigation. Judicial activism for the common weal is perhaps stronger in India than in any other country. The Indian courts have moved with resolve to protect the public from tobacco. The Supreme Court of India in November 2001, in a landmark ruling, directed all states and centrally ruled territories to issue orders forthwith to ban smoking in public places and in public transport.2 A state court has taken similar action.

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