Noose to be tightened against sellers of loose Cigarettes
In Punjab, sale of loose cigarette/tobacco was banned in compliance of Section 7 of Cigarettes and other tobacco products Act (COTPA), 2003. Now, sale of loose cigarettes is also illegal under Legal Metrology Act 2015.
- (1888PressRelease) March 05, 2016 - Chandigarh : Noose to be tightened against sellers of loose Cigarettes: Can-not be sold under Legal Metrology Act 2015, Also banned under Section 7 of Anti Tobacco Act COTPA
In Punjab, sale of loose cigarette/tobacco was banned in compliance of Section 7 of Cigarettes and other tobacco products Act (COTPA), 2003. Now, sale of loose cigarettes is also illegal under Legal Metrology Act 2015. All States have to follow this act, which states that no tobacco product can be sold without mandatory display as prescribed by the Act.
Section 18 of Legal Metrology Act lays down that no person shall manufacture, pack, sell, import, distribute, deliver, offer, expose or possess for sale any pre-packaged commodity unless such package is in such standard quantities or number.
As per the Global Youth Tobacco Survey, 2009, 14.6% of the youth in the age group of 13-15 years in India consume tobacco in some form or other and more than 5500 children/adolescents start tobacco consumption daily. Loose sale encourages sale of tobacco products especially to children by increasing susceptibility and affordability of minors to buy tobacco products.
Sh. Surjit Kumar Jyani, Health Minister, Punjab said "Considering the prevalence of tobacco use especially amongst children and youth of this country and the burden on the public to control its menace, there is an urgent need to curb any activity that may result in promotion of its use and any effort that may undermine or contravene laws such as Cigarettes and other tobacco products Act (COTPA), 2003 or Legal Metrology Act 2015 enacted specifically to discourage tobacco use."
Mrs. Vini Mahajan Principal Secretary Health & Family Welfare, Punjab reiterated that sale of loose Cigarettes/tobacco & Flavored or Scented chewable tobacco products, E-Cigarettes were completely banned in Punjab. She added that there are many poisonous chemicals in tobacco due to which about 3000 people are killed daily in India. So it is very important to curb this menace. License of a commercial establishment having license under FSSA can be cancelled if Tobacco products are being sold, per latest notification of Punjab Govt. She appealed to common people to help Government in this endeavor.
Sh. H. S. Bali, Director, Health Punjab said that, lack of pictorial warning on loose cigarettes deprives the buyer of the impactful information about harmful effects of tobacco. More than 70% of sale of Cigarettes is as single sticks, so if ban is imposed effectively by Legal Metrology departments the age of initiation of tobacco usage will go up.
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