The Voluntary Health Association of Assam (VHAA), supporting bigger pack warnings on tobacco, has welcomed the Supreme Court directive to tobacco companies to implement the new rule of 85 per cent pictorial health warnings on both sides of tobacco product packets.
"We welcome the Supreme Court directive that also clarified that Pictorial Warning Rules of 2014 have come into effect from April 1 last. Therefore, all steps should be taken to enforce the order and petitioners cannot violate the notification issued by the Health Ministry", VHAA Executive Secretary Ruchira Neog said today.
Enforcement of the new bigger pictorial pack warnings rule will bring greater awareness about the serious and adverse health impact of tobacco use especially among youth, children and illiterate, she said.
The Supreme Court yesterday passed the directive staying an earlier order of the Karnataka High Court which had prevented implementation of these rules and directed that all matters (27 writ petitions) will be heard by one court, the Karnataka High Court, in the next 8 weeks.
VHAA is one of the organisations in the country that has been actively supporting the implementation of the 85 per cent Pictorial Health Warning Rules in India by tobacco companies.
Meanwhile, in a positive development a major tobacco company and chewing tobacco companies have started implementing the 85 per cent pictorial health warnings on both sides of their packs of their known brands and most selling ones, Neog said.
The packs that bear April 2016 as the manufacturing date, she said, "by implementing the 85 per cent pictorial health warnings the tobacco and chewing tobacco companies have showed there are no issues in implementation of the new health warnings.
They demonstrate that there is sufficient space for brand names, etc and is a clear testimony that this is practical and possible".
"It's practical in implementing the new tobacco health
warnings and if these companies can implement the new health warnings why can't others", the VHAA Executive Secretary asked.
"The arguments given by other cigarette companies and beedi industry are all baseless now. Tobacco companies' claims about limited branding space due to the size of the pictorial health warnings is unwarranted", Neog asserted.
"There is no evidence to suggest that pictorial warnings have adversely effected livelihoods of tobacco growers and workers since their introduction in 2009.
On the contrary, production of tendu, bidi tobacco, bidis and cigarettes has increased year on year since 2010.
Millions of people engaged in tobacco farming, manufacture and production activities face economic and health hazards", she claimed.
"Another tobacco industry argument suggesting an increase in illicit trade due to the larger pictorial health warnings is a myth perpetuated by the industry.
Factors that determine illicit trade include the Government's ability to enforce tax measures and collect duties, the ease and cost of smuggling tobacco in a country and the extent of tobacco industry participation in such trade activities", Neog said.
"As a matter of fact, prominent pictorial warning on tobacco products will enable enforcement agencies to identify illegal/smuggled cigarettes and help them to seize non-compliant products", she pointed out.
