Extend restriction to beedis too

The proposal to ban the sale of loose cigarettes, which has been accepted by the government, is a welcome measure which will hopefully have an impact on the sale of cigarettes and help curb smoking.

The proposal is part of a package of measures which include rising the minimum age from 18 to 25 for buying tobacco products and an increase in the amount of penalty for violation of anti-smoking rules.

While an earlier decision to increase the space for pictorial warnings on cigarette packets was meant to raise awareness about the dangers of smoking, the latest measure seeks to make an active intervention in the market to reduce cigarette sales. It is similar to the ban imposed some time ago on the sale of tobacco products near educational institutions. The WHO guidelines on tobacco control have prescribed a ban on sale of loose cigarette and many countries have imposed such bans. Surveys have indicated that they have been effective in reducing the sale of cigarettes.

Over 70 per cent of cigarette sales are in the form of loose sticks and they are mostly bought by children, youngsters and people from low income groups. Most of them cannot afford to buy a full packet. Children and youngsters buy single cigarettes when they experiment with smoking and they later get addicted to it.

It is people from the low income segments who have to pay a greater price for the habit because they cannot afford the expensive treatment for the various ailments caused by the use of tobacco. Tobacco companies are likely to challenge the ban with the claim that it is discriminatory, but the claim will not carry conviction because of the overriding public good that supports the measure. In fact, the selling of loose cigarettes may not be legal even now because individual sticks do not carry the mandatory warning.

Implementation is key to the success of the proposal. There are millions of pan shops and other outlets, many in remote areas, which sell cigarettes and other tobacco products and monitoring them will be a big challenge. The ban on smoking in public places is wantonly violated in most places.

The government should consider extending the restrictions to beedis also, which account for the major part of smoked tobacco. It is again the poor people who smoke them. The seriousness being shown by the government in its anti-smoking campaign should be reflected in effective enforcement of the latest proposals and in preventing tobacco companies from circumventing the rules.