In order to create more awareness about the harmful effects of consuming tobacco products, packets of cigarettes, bidis, chewing tobacco and cigars will carry harsher pictoral warnings from December 1.

The Government has notified a set of four graphic pictures to show lung and oral cancer caused due to tobacco products.

At present there are two pictoral warnings showing a scorpion and damaged lungs, which is supposed to be rotated ever year. The new set of pictures will be rotated every two years in line with the demands of tobacco companies.

Tobacco companies had requested the Ministry of Health to increase the number of years for implementing particular programmes as otherwise they would be stuck with the existing stock and that would cause huge financial loss to them.

When contacted the Chairman of tobacco major Godfrey Phillips India, Mr K.K. Modi, said, “The tobacco industry is with the Government. Whatever they say, we will do.”

He said that the company would implement the new pictorial warnings on its products from December 1, as notified by the Government on Saturday.

According to Health and Family Welfare Ministry, a Global Adult Tobacco Survey carried out in 2009-10 found out that 35 per cent of adults use tobacco in some form or the other in the country. Among them, 26 per cent adults use smokeless tobacco and nine per cent are smokers.

Smokeless tobacco is responsible for 80 per cent of mouth cancer while 20 per cent of mouth cancers occur due to smoking.

Published on May 28, 2011