Tobacco Control

Heart takes 25 years to heal naturally when you quit smoking, study reveals

According to a Korean study conducted on 5.3 million people, the heart may take several decades to match the condition of non-smokers naturally after quitting smoking

Health ministry plans mandatory 'non-skippable' anti-tobacco spots on OTT

The Union health ministry has proposed mandatory display of "non-skippable" anti-tobacco health spots of at least 30 seconds and audio-visual disclaimer on ill-effects of tobacco use for 20 seconds on OTT platforms as soon as one starts streaming them. The ministry recently released draft amendments for anti-tobacco rules for over-the-top (OTT) platforms. According to the draft norms, all films of Indian and foreign origin irrespective of their CBFC certification status published and released on or after September 1, 2023 will have to display anti-tobacco health spots of minimum 30 seconds duration each at the beginning and middle of the movie. It also proposed displaying anti-tobacco health warnings as prominent static messages at the bottom of the screen during the scenes that show use of tobacco products in all content. "The Cigarette and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Amendment Rule

World No Tobacco Day 2024: List of foods to help fight tobacco addiction

It is never an easy task to quit smoking, and food can play a vital role in combating tobacco addiction. Here is a list of foods to help you fight tobacco addiction

World No Tobacco Day 2024: Check history, significance, theme and more

World No Tobacco Day 2024: The world observes No Tobacco Day every year on May 31 for spreading awareness about its potential risks

World No-Tobacco Day: Positive changes in the body after you quit smoking

World No Tobacco Day is marked every year on 31 May by the WHO. The day is committed to spreading awareness about the harmful impacts of tobacco and the need to decrease its consumption

Telangana bans sale, production and distribution of tobacco, gutka products

Telangana govt has banned the manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of gutka and pan masala containing tobacco and nicotine in the state for one year in public interest

Govt extends implementation of special registration for gutkha firms

The government has extended the deadline for implementation of special procedure for registration and monthly return filing of manufacturers of pan masala, gutkha and similar tobacco products till May 15. Earlier in January, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) had announced the introduction of a new registration and monthly return filing procedure effective April 1, 2024. The move to overhaul the registration, record-keeping, and monthly filing of such businesses was aimed at improving GST compliance for manufacturers of pan masala and tobacco products. The GST law was also amended via Finance Bill 2024, to say that manufacturers of pan masala, gutka and similar tobacco products will have to pay a penalty of up to Rs 1 lakh, if they fail to register their packing machinery with the GST authorities with effect from April 1. However, this penalty provision is yet to be notified. The procedure was to be applicable for manufacturers of pan-masala, unmanufactured tob

Karnataka govt passes Bill to set age limit for sale of cigarettes to 21

Speaking about this in the House, Health Minister Dinesh Gundurao warned that cigarettes cannot be sold to people under the age of 21 years from now on

Countries risk missing May deadline for pandemic accord, says WHO chief

Only once before in the organisation's 75-year history has the WHO managed to agree such an accord, and that was a Tobacco Control treaty in 2003

Centre sends legal notice to Ajay, Shahrukh and Akshay for endorsing gutka

The central government sent legal notices to actors Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn and Shah Rukh Khan for endorsing tobacco companies in response to a petition

UK PM Sunak proposes raising legal age to buy cigarettes in England

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday proposed raising the legal age that people in England can buy cigarettes by one year, every year until it is eventually illegal for the whole population and smoking will hopefully be phased out among young people. Setting out his plan at the annual Conservative Party conference, Sunak said he wanted to stop teenagers taking up cigarettes in the first place." It is currently illegal for anyone to sell cigarettes or tobacco products to people under 18 years old throughout the UK. Sunak's office said the incremental changes would stop children who turn 14 this year and those younger than that now from ever legally being sold cigarettes in England. If Parliament approves the proposal, the legal change would only apply in England not in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. People take up cigarettes when they're young. Four in five smokers have started by the time they're 20," he said. Later, the vast majority try to quit ... if we could bre

India to find 'pragmatic solutions' on tobacco rules for streaming firms

To curb tobacco use, India in May ordered streaming platforms to insert static health warnings during smoking scenes and at least 50 seconds of anti-tobacco disclaimers at the start

Ban pan-masala promotions

It is shameful that Indian film stars appear in pan-masala advertisements

Govt should scrap anti-tobacco warning rules for OTTs: Prahlad Kakkar

The government should scrap the amendment made to display anti-tobacco warnings on content on entertainment apps as it is impractical to implement the rule, advertisement guru Prahlad Kakkar said on Friday. The health ministry on May 31 notified amendments in the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Amendment Rules, 2023. The rule mandates the inclusion of anti-tobacco health spots, warnings and disclaimers by publishers of online curated content or OTT Platforms in audio-visual programmes depicting the use of cigarettes and tobacco products. "I think it is impractical. I do not think it is applicable or effective or practical. There is no question of rolling back. it is about scrapping," Kakkar said during a panel discussion organised by a think tank. He said that the rule has been made to curtail OTT platforms. Kakkar alleged the government of adopting double standards and s

IAMAI flags concerns on new norms for anti-tobacco warning on OTT platforms

The Union health ministry's latest move mandating anti-tobacco warnings for OTT platforms did not involve any consultative process with the industry prior to notification, IAMAI has said flagging "fundamental concerns" and "practical difficulties" in implementation of the new norms. The industry body has highlighted the practical impossibility associated with including such warnings across content. The amount of content being commissioned in India and licensed from within India and around the world is very high, IAMAI said, adding, "to create and incorporate multiple health spots, audio-visual disclaimers and warnings in multiple languages for the same piece of content poses significant logistical issues". The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has cautioned that the rules will significantly impact consumer viewing experience, and "throttle creativity and artistic expression". The newly-notified rules make it mandatory for OTT platforms to display anti-tobacco warnings

Most tobacco quitters in India from Uttar Pradesh: NTQLS-VPCI survey

A survey of calls received by the central government's National Tobacco Quit Line Services (NTQLS) has shown that most of the tobacco quitters in the country are from Uttar Pradesh. The survey findings were released by the Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute (VPCI) on 'World No Tobacco Day' observed on May 31. The VPCI survey based on NTQLS data revealed that 71,39,473 interactive voice response (IVR) calls were received till April 30, 2023 since May 30, 2016. Out of the total number of IVR calls received by this centre, 20,43,227 calls were counselled, including 9,96,302 inbound calls, 26,80,657 outbound calls, and 3,91,160 registered by the call centre. Most of the callers were from the state of Uttar Pradesh, it said. According to the survey, 1,56,644 (40 per cent) individuals studied had successfully given up tobacco use. Of these, the maximum 1,23,508 calls were received from Uttar Pradesh. Dr Raj Kumar, director, Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute said, I would like to work wi

OTT platforms to display anti-tobacco warnings similar to cinema theatres

The new rules also prohibit OTT companies from displaying brands of cigarettes or other tobacco products or any form of tobacco product placement

World No Tobacco Day: Govt bans tobacco promotion on OTT; notifies rules

On the occasion of World Tobacco Day the Union Health Ministry has notified new rules that mandate audio-visual warning in OTT content

World No Tobacco Day 2023: Theme, History, Importance & Role of Media

According to the World Health Organization, the theme of 'World No Tobacco Day 2023' is "We Need Food, Not Tobacco." This annual event takes place on May 31

Health Ministry to launch 60-day 'Tobacco Free Youth Campaign' on May 31

The Union Health Ministry is planning to launch a 60-day pan India campaign on the theme 'tobacco-free youth' on May 31 which will focus on taking steps to prevent initiation of tobacco use among youngsters and assisting users to quit. Tobacco use has declined but data reveals that its use is still unacceptably high among adolescents and adults in India. According to the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS), current tobacco use among young adolescents (1315 years) in 2019 was 8.5 per cent and in the previous round (2010), it was 14.6 per cent - a decline of 42 per cent. Several initiatives like 'tobacco-free educational institution' are part of the campaign being planned for World No Tobacco Day observed on May 31. In a letter, Joint Secretary of the Health Ministry V Hekali Zhimomi urged states and Union Territories to conduct special drives for enforcement of the provisions of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commer