Tobacco: INDIA vs WORLD

madhukar katiyar

WORLD NO TOBACCO DAY 2009

31 May 2009

Theme: Tobacco Health Warnings

• The World Health Organization (WHO) has selected "Tobacco Health Warnings" as the theme for the next World No Tobacco Day, which will take place on 31 May 2009.

• Tobacco health warnings appear on packs of cigarettes and are among the strongest defenses against the global epidemic of tobacco.

• WHO particularly approves of tobacco health warnings that contain both pictures and words because they are the most effective at convincing people to quit. Such pictorial warnings appear in more than a dozen countries.

• On World No Tobacco Day 2009, and throughout the following year, WHO will encourage governments to adopt tobacco health warnings that meet all the criteria for maximal effectiveness, including that they cover more than half of the pack, appear on both the front and back of the pack and contain pictures.

• The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control obligates its more than 160 countries parties to require "health warnings describing the harmful effects of tobacco use" on packs of tobacco and their outside packaging and recommends that the warnings contain pictures. WHO works through its Tobacco Free Initiative department to help the parties to meet their obligation, providing technical and other assistance.

• As WHO Director General Margaret Chan says, "We hold in our hands the solution to the global tobacco epidemic that threatens the lives of one billion men, women and children during this century."

• Tobacco health warnings are a big part of the solution about which she speaks.

AUSTRALIA

Tobacco Pictorial Warnings

of

BRAZIL

Tobacco Pictorial Warnings

of

CANADA

Tobacco Pictorial Warnings

of

EUROPEAN UNION

Tobacco Pictorial Warnings

of

SINGAPORE

Tobacco Pictorial Warnings

of

Thailand

Tobacco Pictorial

Warnings

of

VENEZUELA

Tobacco Pictorial

Warnings

of

? INDIA(?An Emerging Superpower)

• Former Union Health Minister’s ambitious plan to introduce pictorial warnings on the tobacco products was delayed with then External Affairs Minister and current Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee saying that the pictorial warning on cigarettes packets and other tobacco products cannot be “totally repulsive” .

• Mukherjee, who headed the GoM looking into the issue of pictorial warning, also stressed on the need to rehabilitate those engaged in bidi manufacturing.

• With tobacco workers forming a 10-lakh strong vote bank in India, the group of ministers (GoM) headed by foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee was expected to put on hold the pictorial warnings which it did.

• The deadline for warnings was moved for the fifth time in two years.

• The GoM meeting was held on Wednesday at Mukherjee's residence!!!! Mukherjee, Anand Sharma, Oscar Fernandes, Kamal Nath and Jaipal Reddy -- having a strong vote base among tobacco workers, had a free hand in putting the warnings on hold once again.

• Interestingly no decision was taken due to LACK OF QUORUM

• Speaking at The Indian Express Idea Exchange program recently, Mukherjee spoke at length about various considerations the GoM pored over, with a candid admission that he “used to be a volcanic smoker till 17 years ago”.

• In a lighter vein, he said all members of the GoM who “prevailed up on the Health Minister” on the issue of the pictorial warnings were in fact non-smokers”.

“Thousands die every day while politicians sit on

their hands”

INDIA

Despite GOM’s lethargy,Supreme Court cleared display of tobacco pictorial warnings :Court records Government Undertaking that law will be implemented from May 31

NEW DELHI: Repeated dithering by Indian government in introducing pictorial signs and health warnings on cigarette packets invited a stinging query from the Indian Supreme Court :

"Is the government doing this to control rapidly increasing population?"

Appearing for NGO `Health for Millions', senior advocate Indira Jaising told a Supreme Court Bench that

the government had succumbed to the pressure exerted by the tobacco lobby and repeatedly postponed implementation of its decision on pictorial warnings.

The advocate asked how the government, which has ministers who themselves own tobacco plantations, could take a decision that was contrary to their interests?

Even the pictorial sign, which was to be ‘skull and bones’ -- internationally understood to depict danger — had been diluted to `scorpion' which means nothing for the common man.

The Final Decision

• The pictorial warning shall be limited to 40 per cent of the principal display area on the front panel of the package only .

• The specified health warning will be printed, pasted or affixed.

• For smoking forms of tobacco packages, the specified warnings are depiction of lungs.

• While for chewing and smokeless forms, the warning will be a scorpion.

Sadly , as always , the Tobacco Lobby and its Politicians have

Won yet again!

So where does or shall India stand in Global Tobacco

Pictorial Warnings ? . . ? . . .?

Tobacco Production In India this year

Has increased by a Whopping 50 %instead of Reducing in accordance to

Signed International Treaties

INDIAN BUDGET 2009

• Presented on 7-7-2009 by the new Finance Minister

Mr Pranab Mukherjee – NO NEW /INCREASED

TAX on Tobacco Products is proposed

“Thousands shall continue to die every day while politicians sit on

their hands”

Thank You for watching this presentation

madhukar katiyar