Over 80 per cent of Indians consider the consumption of smokeless tobacco to be a very serious problem and 88 per cent strongly support the strengthening of the current tobacco control law to address this menace, as per a recent study conducted by Consumer VOICE, an NGO engaged in creating awareness on consumer rights and laws.
The survey conducted on tobacco use and its impact in 10 States in the country also found that 72 per cent of people believe passive smoking poses a serious health hazard.
“The majority of the respondents supported banning smoking in all public places, eliminating special smoking areas in airports, hotels, and restaurants, banning the sale of loose cigarettes and bidis and advertising tobacco products at selling points,” said the survey which was conducted in the backdrop of Government’s proposal to amend the tobacco control act.
The survey noted that a least 82 percent of the respondents believe smokeless tobacco use is a profoundly serious problem; 80 percent say so about smoking cigarettes while 77 per cent have the same notion on smoking of bidis.
The study found that more than nine in ten Indians are of the opinion that the Centre should strengthen the existing tobacco law and ensure its strict implementation across the country.
Support for the law is high across all demographic and geographic areas irrespective of age-group and gender, with even tobacco users supporting it.
The interview was conducted in 10 languages (Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Oriya, Marathi, Tamil, Bengali, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada) across the country.
“It is very encouraging to see the overwhelming support from people for strengthening the current tobacco control law. The Government has started the amendment process of tobacco control law COTPA 2003 which is an important step towards improving public health.
“It is looking to strengthen the provisions for prohibiting smoking in public places and a ban on point-of-sale advertising displays besides ban on sale of loose cigarettes and have higher penalties,” said Ashim Sanyal, Chief Operating Officer, Consumer VOICE.
Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of disease and premature deaths globally and in India more than 10 Lakhs people are losing life every year due to tobacco related diseases.