Youth urge policy makers to set date for 85 per cent pictorial health warnings on tobacco products

Highlights that large warnings will prevent youth from experimenting with tobacco products

Youth health advocates have urged Indian policymakers, including the Prime Minister, health ministers and all Members of Parliament, to set a date for implementation of India’s planned pictorial tobacco health warnings covering 85 per cent of the front and back of all tobacco packages.

At a recently held press conference jointly organised by the Public Health Foundation of India and HRIDAY, with support from the World Health Organization Country Office for India and in the presence of Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda, Member of Parliament, youth health advocates highlighted that these large warnings will prevent youth from experimenting with tobacco products.

Bahar Shoogufan, a youth health advocate associated with HRIDAY said, “Young people realise the importance of leading a healthy and productive life and know that tobacco is a major impediment to our progress. We cannot allow ourselves to fall prey to this deadly habit and become replacement users for the benefit of the tobacco industry. We urge the government to take immediate action because these pictures can save lives by warning young people about the dangers of tobacco use. We want to know when the 85 per cent pictorial health warnings will be implemented. We have written to the Prime Minister for an opportunity to meet him and submit our plea.”

Panda said, “The youth play an integral role in society and their voices count and must be heard. The battle for pictorial warnings has been on –going and we must keep pushing for larger pictorial warnings and plain packaging of tobacco products. We, parliamentarians are supporting the cause and twenty of us have written in support of larger pictorial warnings.”

Prof K Srinath Reddy, President, Public Health Foundation of India, “Large sized pictorial health warnings are essential for effectively communicating the deadly health risks of tobacco to youth and the predominantly poor consumers in India, who have low levels of literacy and limited access to other sources of health information. India is losing over Rs one-lakh crore to treat tobacco related diseases, a cost that can easily be reduced if strong action is taken on time. Implementing pictorial health warnings along with other tobacco control measures will cost the government about Rs five per person per year, which is certainly an investment of a lifetime. I welcome and applaud the young voices who are demanding a future free from tobacco for their generation.”

Around 20 lakh youth initiate tobacco use annually in India, which is ranked a low 136 among countries and territories worldwide in terms of package warning size. Implementation of 85 per cent size for tobacco package warnings would place India in a position of international leadership.

The delay in implementation of the 85 per cent warnings has been caused by an interim observation of a Committee on Subordinate Legislation of the Lok Sabha, on account of tobacco industry lobbying, while reviewing the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labeling) Amendment Rules, 2014.

With unprecedented support from young people, 4000 letters have already been submitted to the Ministry of Health urging implementation of the 85 per cent warnings. Youth have also conducted a signature campaign with nearly 5000 signatures collected till date to support the timely enforcement of the warnings.

Devarshi Paul, HRIDAY youth health advocate said, “We are making concerted efforts to reach out to our policymakers and demand urgent implementation of the 85 per cent warnings. We have also launched an online campaign titled ‘Pictures Save Lives’ urging them to give us an actual date for the implementation of the 85 per cent pack warnings on tobacco products. This is our Call to Action requesting Indian Parliamentarians’ commitment in preventing youth from falling prey to tobacco use. Youth advocates across the world have also joined us in our collective vision to achieve No More Tobacco in the 21st century and we are connected through our activities online. We invite you to join us on our pictures save lives campaign page www.nmt21c.com to amplify our voice. Our strength in numbers can catalyse urgent policy action on pictorial health warnings.”

Rahul Dravid, India’s Ambassador for Tobacco Control, in a special message recorded for the occasion said, “I convey my warm greetings to all the young friends who are meeting today to campaign for effective pictorial health warnings for tobacco products. I fully support your cause, since tobacco products cause many dangerous diseases and kill over a million Indians each year. It is essential that large pictorial health warnings are placed on all tobacco packs to caution current and potential users against these deadly consequences. I urge the Government of India to implement 85 per cent pictorial warnings at the earliest, to help us move towards the vision of an India, which is free from the threat of tobacco. I am ready to bat for ‘NMT 21C’ as part of your team.”