Tobacco is probably the single largest cause of preventable death in humans today. Its use has been linked to cancer of the mouth or the lung, ischemic attacks and more. Which is why the move by the Indian government to delay the implementation of bigger health warnings on tobacco packaging, despite all the pressure, raises eyebrows.
The move has been pushed to April 2016. If it goes through, 85 percent of the package will have to be covered with a health warning, up from the current 20 percent. Surprisingly, the delay was due to a parliamentary committee, which claimed that they would need to study the impact of this change on the industry. Incidentally, one of the members on this panel is the owner of a tobacco company. The companies have termed this move drastic and unnecessary.
In the past, the government has increased taxes and duties on tobacco products. Sales haven’t really dropped drastically. Over the past few years, there has been a drop of around 10 percent. Despite the rise in ‘sin taxes’ every year and the curb on smoking on public places, there is still a massive part of the population that smokes. Beedies account for over 80 percent of all tobacco products. This means that the rural areas are where awareness is needed more. If that has to happen then the move to enlarge the warning is necessary, but perhaps, not to the level envisaged. The message has to be that tobacco use is bad, but one has to also remember that smoking in a personal choice.
