Tobacco products to carry pictorial warnings

Dr. S Elango, director of public health, said, “This year’s theme for World No Tobacco Day is health warnings and we intend to see that every tobacco product contains the warnings. If any violations of the rule are found after May 31, they will be dealt with.”

Crackdown on violators
Beginning Sunday, numerous three-member squads will keep a strict vigil on various outlets around the nation dealing with tobacco products to ensure that they comply with the mandatory specifications laid down by the Union health ministry.

The main task of the squad, comprising of a police official, a health officer and a school headmaster, will be to check whether a pictorial warning against smoking is printed on tobacco packs or not.

Flouting the rules would attract fines. Dr. Elango elaborated the penalties, “If this (instructions) is not followed, the manufacturer can be fined up to Rs 5,000 with or without two years imprisonment. The dealer or seller can be fined up to Rs 1,000 with or without a year's imprisonment.”

On subsequent offenses, the fine would be Rs 10,000 for the manufacturer and he could be sent to prison for a period of five years. The fine would be Rs 3,000 for the seller on repeating the offense. He may also face two years' imprisonment.

Pictorial message compulsory
The Union government has laid down the rules governing the packaging and labeling of cigarette and tobacco products. According to the new rules, all cigarette and tobacco packs must have a pictorial message.

The following pictures have been approved for display on the packs: diseased lungs and a chest X-ray for smoking forms of tobacco and a scorpion for smokeless forms of tobacco.

The government has also issued a revised statuary warning i.e. “Smoking kills and tobacco causes cancer.” As per the guidelines, this warning must cover 40 percent of the principal display area on the front of the pack.

The earlier statuary warning “Smoking is injurious to health” will be done away with.