http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/country/india.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/rising-tobacco-output-flies-infacewho-commitment/362855/ http://tobacco.org/news/286721.html ??India’s tobacco production rose by 25 per cent to 314 million kg in 2008-09, making it even more difficult for the country to meet its commitment to the World Health Organization (WHO) to reduce production by 50 per cent within the next decade.??????“The country’s tobacco production reached 314 million kg in 2008-09, as against 252 million kg in the previous year. The rise in output has been massive,” state-owned Tobacco Board Chairman J Suresh Babu said.????The output from Andhra Pradesh, the largest producer, rose to 200 million kg in 2008-09 from 165 million kg in the previous year. Production in Karnataka surged to 114 million kg as against 87 million kg during the review period,Babu said.????The rise in production may spell bad news for the country. India, the third-largest exporter of tobacco in the world, became a signatory to the WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in 2003, whereby it is mandatory to reduce tobacco supply by 50 per cent within 10-15 years of signing the pact. Business Standard India Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Bangalore-teens-welcome-court-ban-on-tobacco/articleshow/4720377.cms http://tobacco.org/news/286517.html As more and more teenagers of India's IT hub Bangalore are falling prey to smoking, the Karnataka High Court order barring tobacco products' sale near schools and colleges has been welcomed by the youngsters themselves. This should help them stay away from the harmful addiction, they say.????The Karnataka High Court on Monday directed the government to effectively implement the Cigarette and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003 (COTPA), to prevent the sale of tobacco products near educational institutions.????The high court has asked the Bangalore Municipal Corporation and the pre-university board to file an action-taken report in six weeks time on the implementation of the COTPA.????According to the COTPA, cigarettes and other tobacco products are banned to be sold to those below 18 years and such sales are prohibited within 100 yards from institutes of learning.?? The Times of India India Tue, 30 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_hookah-bar-owners-form-association_1267626 http://tobacco.org/news/286368.html ??With a view to assisting the judiciary and police in curbing the menace of illegal operations at hookah bars, a few hookah bar owners in the city have formed an association and moved an application in the Gujarat high court, seeking to be a party to the suo moto proceedings against the illegally run hookah bars in the city.????Over a dozen hookah bar owners have come forward to curb the illegal activities of some entities in their fraternity. "We have formed an association with the aim to cooperate with the government authorities to curb illegal activities," said a member of the Hookah Bar Owners' Association. "We do not want to be targeted because of the scrupulous activities of others in the business," he added.????Only five hookah bars in the city have the official license to run their business. Others are either compelled to shut down or are running their bars illegally. "We will obey all the guidelines issued by the police commissioner, and will also inform them of any illegal activities we come across," the member said. DNA India India Tue, 23 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/cancerous-cigarette-packs-hit-city/481586/ http://tobacco.org/news/286299.html Kolkata In keeping with the Supreme Court order, cigarette packs with pictorial warnings covering at least 40 per cent of the front of the packet made their entry in city outlets on Thursday.????Cigarettes manufactured by the Hyderabad-based VST Industries Ltd under the brand name "Special" carried a picture of smoke-damaged lungs with the warning "Smoking Kills" in white on a red background above it, and another warning beside the picture that said "Tobacco Causes Cancer".????The Union government had assured the apex court last month that it would ensure pictorial warnings like the skull and cross bones or a cancer-disfigured face were carried on cigarettes packets and other tobacco products from May 31 onwards under the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products (Packing and Labeling) Rules, 2008. Indian Express India Fri, 26 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Did-Ramadoss-misrepresent-facts/articleshow/4685506.cms http://tobacco.org/news/286226.html he Supreme Court made headlines recently when it asked for records of the controversial group of ministers (GoM) meeting on February 3 after former health minister A Ramadoss alleged that the minutes of the meeting — that took a call on tobacco warnings on cigarette and beedi packets — had been altered under pressure.????The TOI has now accessed records on the basis of which SC supported the government in its stand that Ramadoss had misrepresented facts when he alleged that the pictorial warnings had been reduced under pressure from the tobacco lobby.????The GoM chaired by the then foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee included urban development minister S Jaipal Reddy, former commerce and industry minister Kamal Nath and former minister of state (MEA and I&B) Anand Sharma besides Ramadoss. The ministers, with the exception of Ramadoss, agreed that the pictorial warnings on cigarette and beedi packets should be restricted to 40% of the principal display area on the front panel of the package only.????There was also unanimity that the warnings should not apply to wholesale packaging even if it meant making amendments in the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Packaging and Labelling Rules of 2008. . . .??????On May 1, Ramadoss wrote to PM Manmohan Singh protesting that further amendment to the Packaging and Labelling Rules were being contemplated by the GoM to restrict the health warning to the front panel and only on packs meant for consumers. The health minister pointed out that the intended health warning in real terms would actually occupy only 20% space and would not meet the minimum requirement as per internationally accepted norms. The Times of India India Mon, 22 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Editorial/PICTURE-IMPERFECT--Injurious-to-health/articleshow/4649867.cms http://tobacco.org/news/285655.html ??From May 31st , all tobacco products were mandated by government fiat to carry graphic pictorial warnings like the skull and cross bones. These are supposed to effectively convey the dangers of tobacco consumption, especially to illiterate consumers of such products. But do these warnings really work? Research conducted by Martin Lindstrom, brand consultant and author of a bestselling book, shows that these pictures may just have the opposite effect. . . .??????Lindstrom could not explain the reason behind the unintended effect of the warning labels, but we will have to see the trends in the sale of tobacco products in India in the coming months to see if the labels have any effect, positive or negative. Meanwhile, some Indian researcher could try a similar study of the effects of watching on-screen smoking in Bollywood movies. This research was part of the burgeoning field of neuromarketing, which uses the tools of neurologists to flesh out consumer preferences. Since it is assumed that 85 per cent of our decisions are made at a subconscious level, such brain-mapping techniques can prove to be far potent for brand managers than traditional focus groups, which relies on the conscious level, with its associated cognitive biases.?? The Times of India India Sat, 13 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www.newkerala.com/nkfullnews-1-53129.html http://tobacco.org/news/285536.html Graphic pictorial warnings like a cancer-disfigured face or diseased lungs - to highlight the hazards of tobacco intake - were supposed to have hit the market May 31. But they are nowhere in sight and the tobacco industry says it will take more time.????"Given the fact that the various trade channels hold fairly large quantities of inventory, it will take some time for stocks with the new health warnings to be available in the marketplace," Udayan Lall, director of the Tobacco Institute of India (TII), told IANS.????The TII is an organization representing farmers, exporters, manufacturers and ancillaries of the cigarette segments of the tobacco industry.????Tobacco products with gory pictures were expected over 10 days ago - the skull and crossbones warning being optional for cigarette packs. Tobacco vendors in the country say they are left with no choice but to sell the old stock. New Kerala.com India Wed, 10 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www.centralchronicle.com/viewnews.asp?articleID=8727 http://tobacco.org/news/285357.html ??Law banning smoking has failed to yield results, as it has not acted as a deterrent to prevent smokers from smoking cigarettes at public places. This could be owing to laxity on the part of district administration or the law may be devoid of teeth. Law banning smoking in public places became effective on October 2, 2008 and nine months have passed since the law became effective but no action has been taken against the citizens of Bhopal and people here are smoking freely everywhere. You will be surprised to know that residents of Bhopal smoke cigarettes worth Rs 10 lakh every day.????More than 30 per cent population of City is addicted to the cancer stick, which is carcinogenic. Central Chronicle India Tue, 02 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www.thenational.ae/article/20090608/FOREIGN/706079929/1103/ART http://tobacco.org/news/285262.html Anti-smoking groups welcome the introduction of graphic warnings on cigarette packs and other tobacco products but are sceptical they can have much of an effect on the country's 300 million tobacco users, more than half of whom live in the countryside.????The warnings, which show photos of decayed gums and diseased lungs as well as a skull and crossbones, were supposed to be in place in November but were delayed after lobbying by tobacco manufacturers.????However, last month, the Supreme Court stepped in and set a cut-off date of May 31 after which all packs of cigarettes, beedis (hand-rolled cigarettes) and gutka (a kind of chewing tobacco that also includes crushed betel nut) must carry pictorial warnings taking up about 40 per cent of the packaging area.????Anti-tobacco groups alleged that the government wanted to delay implementing the rules until after the just-completed general elections.????Yet, more than one week after the ruling and almost three weeks after the elections, the new cigarette packs have yet to make an appearance on store shelves. The National Newspaper jandrabi@thenational.ae ( Jalees Andrabi, Foreign Correspondent) India Mon, 08 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/kickinghabit/360328/ http://tobacco.org/news/285256.html ??The government's move to make it mandatory for all packets of tobacco products to carry pictorial warnings on the health hazards of tobacco consumption is well intended, but it is doubtful whether this will have the desired impact. Under the new order, all packs of tobacco products like cigarettes, bidis and gutka, will now have to carry images of diseased human lungs along with blunter statutory warnings like 'Tobacco kills' and 'Tobacco causes cancer'. The objective, apparently, is to convey the harmful effects of tobacco consumption to those who cannot read. But whether this message is sufficient to deter a person from smoking or chewing tobacco is debatable, considering that the written warning that 'smoking is injurious to health' has failed to check the consumption of tobacco among literates. Besides, it is uncertain whether unlettered smokers, many of whom may not be familiar with the human anatomy, would be able to decipher the picture to be that of an ailing lung or heart, and relate it tobacco consumption.??????The problem is more complex in India than elsewhere in the world because of the varied forms and modes of tobacco use. . . .??????Unlike countries where tobacco consumption is either leveling off or even decreasing, tobacco use is on the rise in India. Yet it is also true that India, despite being a major tobacco producer and exporter, played a significant role in the development of the framework convention on tobacco control (FCTC) . . . ???? A more comprehensive action plan for tobacco control would involve simultaneous action on several fronts, such as hikes in the taxes on all tobacco products, disincentives for the production of tobacco and its products, incentives to farmers to switch to alternative crops, and consumer education campaigns.?? Business Standard India Mon, 08 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www.kanglaonline.com/index.php?template=kshow&kid=1557 http://tobacco.org/news/285253.html ??The Indian tobacco Control Law, the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, (COTPA) 2003, which came into effect in 2004 and became a law on 2nd October 2008, prohibits smoking in public places. It provides for strict regulations on tobacco promotion and bars all forms of direct and indirect advertisement.????‘Catch them young’ is the trend with which tobacco companies the world over target Indian youths. For a country with a population of over 40 crore being less than 18 years of age, tobacco consumption is a major threat to our economy playing with the health of the individuals. The law has finally come down heavily on the assassinating character of tobacco products by taking a stringent stand on portraying pictorial warnings.????So, in addition to pictorial warnings, there is need to sensitize the people on the fatal effects of tobacco use the NGOs, local clubs, hotels and restauras, private agencies etc. Ban on public smoking also needs to be strictly implemented through the initiative of hotel and restaura owners, security people etc. Kangla Online India Mon, 08 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www.newkerala.com/nkfullnews-1-51468.html http://tobacco.org/news/285180.html An anti-tobacco group, the National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE), has taken strong objection to union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad's recent statement that there was nothing wrong in showing smoking scenes in movies.????Speaking to IANS Saturday, NOTE general secretary Subhash Salkar said the organisation has appealed to Azad to 'change his views', as cigarettes smoking by film stars on celluloid encouraged their fans to take up smoking in real life.????'It is well known that our film stars have a large number of fans among youths who would copy and imitate the actions of their heroes without giving a thought to the consequences of their actions. This fact is established through surveys of tobacco use and contradicts the view expressed by the minister,' Salkar said.????Speaking at a function in New Delhi on May 31 Azad had said restrictions on showing smoking on screen were not practical.????'It is just entertainment. There are so many objectionable things which are shown on screen like murder, arson and so on... such things should be banned first. I think we should try to implement whatever we can. We cannot do anything which is not practical. Such things (banning of smoking and drinking on screen) are very difficult. Cinema is just to enjoy,' Azad said.?? New Kerala.com India Sat, 06 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www.indiaprwire.com/pressrelease/health-care/2009060526887.htm http://tobacco.org/news/285178.html ??The Indian Dental Association (IDA) today announced that it will be launching 5,000 Tobacco Intervention Initiative Centres (TIICs) across India during the next two years. The first phase of the launch kicked off early this week as 56 TIICs were set up across Maharashtra. To further reinforce its commitment to create a tobacco free India, IDA also joined WHO this year in observing 'World No Tobacco Day'. Dentists who volunteer to serve in these centres will receive orientation at NIMHANS, Bangalore and at centres in Delhi.????In Maharashtra, IDA had set up more than 20 one-day information and counselling booths in locations like railway stations, hospitals, malls and airports. Doctors screened patients at these centres all day and distributed information booklets to create awareness and appealed to users to quit tobacco. India PRwire India Fri, 05 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www.forbes.com/2009/06/04/economic-impact-bars-restaurants-opinions-contributors-smoking-ban.html?partner=msn http://tobacco.org/news/285073.html ????But there is one major problem. Upon further inspection, previous studies do not, on the whole, demonstrate that smoking bans don't harm bars and restaurants. In fact, appropriately done studies and basic economic logic demonstrate that they often do.????As several recent economic research articles have explained, many prior studies of smoking bans are riddled with statistical shortcomings. For example, some simply compare revenues of bars and restaurants for a short time period with a smoking ban with revenues during a short time period without a ban. But, they do so without making any adjustment for other factors that impact revenues over a given time period. . . .??????In a peer-reviewed research article I published a few months ago, I performed an empirical study of the proposed smoking ban in India that examined its economic impact by looking at stock market prices. (This is a method that has been used in hundreds of peer-reviewed economic research articles.)????I found a statistically significant result that the proposed smoking ban lowered the market value of hospitality industry firms. . . .??????So, even if legislators are reluctant to listen to arguments about individual freedom or those based on preserving the welfare of tobacco manufacturers, there are other, very real economic trade-offs they should consider when voting on a smoking ban.???? Forbes India USA Thu, 04 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www.utvi.com/news/latest-business-news-india/24409/picture-this-.html http://tobacco.org/news/285059.html It seems like the government will do all that is possible to make sure that citizens of India are healthy both in terms of their economic stituation and health. With pictorial warnings being made mandatory on all tobacco products, it still remains to be seen whether manufactures are going to feel the impact and moreover will the consumer behaviour change.????This could possibly happen to you. Thats what the health ministry and World Health Organisation wants you to know when you light up your next cigrette. Pictorial warnings are being made mandatory on all tobacco products. All cigarette will have to carry the pictorial warnings, covering at least 40 % of the principal display area of the pack. The packs also, cannot carry any message that directly or indirectly promotes a specific tobacco brand or tobacco use in general. Although the use of strong warnings like skull and cross bones or a cancer-disfigured face is optional, it is mandatory to have a scorpion and diseased lungs on all tobacco products.????The government order, issued last month, came despite stiff resistance from manufacturers. UTV New Media Limited India Wed, 03 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT