Guwahati: Hundreds of mothers across Assam appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to strengthen the tobacco control law on the occasion of Mother’s Day on Sunday. Concerned mothers in the state aimed to save the younger generations from tobacco addiction.
The initiative to involve and engage mothers across the state to submit a memorandum to the Prime Minister was taken by the Consumers’ Legal Protection Forum (CLPF), Assam.
The campaign was organised simultaneously in major cities of the state on Sunday.
The CLPF stated, “Hundreds of mothers participated in the campaign and requested the Prime Minister to consider the immediate introduction of a strong tobacco control law.” It also requested the PM to introduce the law urgently in the interest of public health, preferably during the upcoming monsoon session of the Parliament.
“We need a law that will protect our children to live smoke-free lives,” said a mother present at the event. Among the many suggestions aimed at a stringent tobacco control law, were the banning of designated smoking areas, banning of all kinds of tobacco advertisements, banning the sale of single sticks of cigarettes, etc. The mother also suggested increasing the legal age for smoking from 18 to 21 years.
Notably, the use of tobacco is a very high risk factor for multiple causes of death. Almost 40 percent of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) including cancer, cardio-vascular diseases and lung disorders are attributable to tobacco use.
Terming the use of tobacco as distressful, another mother at the event said, “Sometimes parents’ best efforts are not enough to stop kids from tobacco use.” According to her, despite being aware of the dangers of tobacco use, younger people still get influenced by tobacco advertising, the existence of designate smoking areas at some public places, peer pressure or the glamourisation of smoking in popular culture.
Advocate Ajoy Hazarika, Secretary, Consumers’ Legal Protection Forum, Assam said, “As per the recent Global Youth Tobacco Survey released by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, nearly one-fifth of students aged between 13 years and 15 years use tobacco products in India.” He revealed that according to the nationwide survey of students, 38 percent of cigarettes, 47 percent of bidi and 52 percent of smokeless tobacco users pick up the habit before their 10th birthday.
A recent survey by CLPF revealed that despite a ban on electronic cigarettes by the Government of India in 2019, e-cigarettes are easily available in tobacco shops and are sold to children below 18 years of age.
An electronic cigarette is an electronic device that simulates tobacco smoking. It consists of an atomiser, a power source such as a battery, and a container such as a cartridge or tank. Instead of smoke, the user inhales vapour.
The rapid survey and sample collection by CLPF was done to ascertain evidence of the violation of e-cigarette ban wherein shops/vendors were randomly selected for the investigation. The survey was conducted and evidence was gathered through both online and offline modes.
Field investigators checked the availability of e-cigarettes, verification of age, awareness of e-cigarette ban among vendors and recommended subsequent penalties for malpractice.
Noting the harmful effects of smoking, Ashim Sanyal, Chief Executive Officer, Consumer VOICE, New Delhi said, “It’s time to take action to protect our youth from the dangers of e-cigarettes.”
The CLPF explained that although the ban on electronic cigarettes was introduced to protect the younger generation from a new form of toxic addiction, its enforcement has been weak. “As a result, the market is flooded with cheap and unbranded Chinese-made e-cigarettes. Thus, a coordinated effort at the central and state level is urgently needed to ensure the ban is effective,” the CLPF secretary said.
The Government of India, considering the harmful effects of electronic cigarette on the youth, prohibited the production, manufacture, import, export, transport, sale, distribution, storage and advertisement, of electronic cigarettes, vide the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and Advertisement) Act, 2019, which was introduced as an Ordinance and later formalised into an Act in the year 2019.
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Recently, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in its directive to the states/UTs, highlighted weak implementation of Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act 2019 (PECA), leading to its easy availability through online, retail, convenient stores, stationery shops and in the vicinity of educational institutions.
The states were directed to review the compliance of PECA and issue necessary instructions for effective implementation of the provisions of the Act, through special drives and random checking in schools and colleges.
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