Smotect Azaadi

The campaign video draws focus on how every tobacco user is enslaved by their habit, emphasising that switching to nicotine free solutions like Azaadi is a crucial step towards freedom from these limitations. Smotect’s Azaadi is 100% natural, nicotine-free and a perfect alternative to chewable tobacco, unlike conventional harmful alternatives.

Smotect combines Ayurvedic wisdom with modern science to offer unique, effective solutions for tobacco cessation for those struggling to quit tobacco consumption. With an aim of spreading awareness and offering tobacco users a safe and scientifically backed solution, the campaign is being promoted on social media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. This unique campaign has been conceptualised and executed by ChtrSocial.

Mr. Gurseet Singh, Founder of Smotect, said, “This is the perfect time to reach out to the people with this very powerful message and an equally effective solution. This Independence Day, people should opt for Azaadi because this will lead them to their true independence. Quitting tobacco consumption is a tough battle and we want to be an effective enabler in every tobacco user’s journey towards nicotine-free living.”

Darshil Shah, Director of ChtrSocial, adds, “Every 'Quit Tobacco' campaign ever made is either saddening or horrifying but we wanted to set a different tone altogether that would inspire Bharat's audience. We created this anthem using the very sounds associated with tobacco use, symbolizing the powerful act of breaking free from this harmful habit. Our aim is to make a lasting impact—one that not only engages and captivates but also challenges people to reconsider their choices and inspires a shift in mindset. As we honor the spirit of independence, we hope to spark meaningful conversations and empower individuals to reclaim their lives by attaining Azaadi from tobacco.”

Addressing the perennial problem of tobacco addiction, Smotect has come up with a special polyherbal natural formula - Azaadi that prepares the body and mind to quit tobacco by reducing dependence on nicotine. The formula helps manage nicotine craving, stress and withdrawal symptoms while improving stamina and heart health. It also aids in restoring vital organs like the lungs, brain, skin, and oral cavity from the impact of long tobacco usage. Ayurvedic practitioners, doctors, psychologists, behavioural therapists, and habit coaches have come together to innovate this clinically evaluated solution that is completely natural. With its many success stories, Azaadi is the best solution for a nicotine-free lifestyle.

This campaign signifies a strategic shift in the brand's focus towards a more people-centric narrative, acknowledging the challenges faced by individuals at every stage of their journey to quit smoking. It redefines the process of quitting cigarettes as an ongoing journey, rather than a singular endpoint, thus emphasizing the importance of support and understanding throughout the entire experience.

YouTube Hindi link (16.9) - www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MyMgK7cKTo

YouTube Hindi link (short)- www.youtube.com/shorts/TPbb1ITdJ0E

Instagram link - www.instagram.com/reel/C-kfG1uykQr/

About Smotect

Smotect is a trailblazing direct-to-consumer (D2C) Wellness Company dedicated to helping individuals conquer tobacco addiction through a mix of nicotine-free products and positive community building. Founded by Gurseet Singh, who battled tobacco addiction for over two decades, Smotect offers products like Smotect Natural Tablets and Smotect Azaadi, which are backed by rigorous scientific research and clinical trials. With a mission to transform societal narratives around tobacco use, Smotect combines Ayurvedic wisdom with modern science and behavioral tools to promote a healthier, tobacco-free lifestyle.

"Tobacco use is on the decline globally and the tobacco industry desperately needs to hook the next generation of users to protect their bottom line as smokers die off," said Nandita Murukutla, Vice President, Global Policy and Research at Vital Strategies. “In TERM’s latest report, we see the industry trying everything online to reach new users, tapping into their vast marketing budgets to place advertising in every corner of the internet, where regulations are weakest. Of particular concern is that the spaces they are targeting are overwhelmingly full of young audiences. Our data shows that governments need to step up: Smart policies and enforcement are needed urgently to address the challenges these digital tools pose to efforts to curb tobacco marketing. We need to keep our foot on the gas and ensure the technology isn’t left unchecked.”

Exposure to tobacco marketing is a main reason why youth initiate smoking, which kills half of users. It is well established that tobacco is being promoted on social media; less is known about other emerging digital venues. Vital Strategies’ Tobacco Enforcement and Reporting Movement (TERM) is offering early evidence into how these platforms are being exploited by tobacco companies across a range of digital platforms. “The Next Frontier in Tobacco Marketing: The Metaverse, NFTs, Advergames and More” offers recommendations for governments on how to take action now to prevent tobacco marketing from growing unchecked.

Key findings include:

• Diverse marketing tactics and tools: Tobacco is being marketed using a range of marketing tactics across different platforms. This includes developing video games to advertise products (“advergaming”); using music, sports and adventure brands to indirectly promote a company’s tobacco products (community marketing and event promotions); using social media to promote “corporate social responsibility” initiatives to build brand familiarity; and selling products through websites and through messaging apps such as WhatsApp that are more challenging to monitor (online retail).

• Example of advergaming: TERM found a youth-oriented online game that indirectly promotes one of the largest tobacco companies in the country through the use of its corporate logo.

• Example of community marketing and event promotions: TERM found music, sports and adventure brands in Indonesia organized events that were sponsored by tobacco brands to indirectly promote tobacco products and appeal to youth.

• Use of emerging technologies: Digital innovations such as NFTs and the metaverse are already being used for tobacco promotions, and it is likely that this will increase as they become more popular.

• Example in the metaverse: TERM observed a tobacco company-associated account in Indonesia using metaverse art to promote partying and smoking in the metaverse. In India, a tobacco company sponsored the first metaverse wedding and Diwali celebration via its juice and chocolate brands.

• Example of an NFT: TERM found an NFT developed and promoted by a tobacco company in India to celebrate the company’s 93^rd anniversary.

"Countries that are Party to WHO's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control have agreed to ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, but implementation is a challenge when it comes to internet. Digital platforms continue to increase their market share targeting young people with ads for tobacco and e-cigarettes. We must restrict the marketing of tobacco, nicotine and other health harming products on digital channels and social media platforms,” said Dr. Vinayak M Prasad, Unit Head, No Tobacco (TFI) WHO.

Fueled by increasing use of virtual and augmented reality technology, advertising in the metaverse is expected to grow each year to a market size of nearly US $4 billion by 2030. Many experts predict that by 2040 the metaverse will be a fully immersive, daily part of life for half a billion or more people around the world.

Recommendations for governments:

• Restrict: Prohibit all forms of tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship across all media platforms, including evolving ones based on newer technologies.

• Monitor: Establish media monitoring systems to identify new trends in tobacco marketing.

• Enforce: Consider which government agencies and other stakeholders have jurisdiction to regulate different platforms and the best mechanisms to do so. 

Evidence presented in this report is drawn from Vital Strategies' Tobacco Enforcement and Reporting Movement (TERM), a digital media monitoring system that leverages the power of AI and our team of tobacco control experts to identify evidence of tobacco marketing on social media platforms and news sites.

Read the full report here: www.termcommunity.com/the-next-frontier-in-tobacco-marketing.

For more information about TERM, visit: termcommunity.com.

According to Global Youth Tobacco Survey-4 (2019), 38% of cigarette, 47% of bidi smokers and 52% of smokeless tobacco users in India initiate use before their 10th birthday. On Gandhi Jayanti, the Ministry of Education, Government of India launched a new campaign “Promise To Protect” at a digital conference, bringing together over 1,000 teachers across India pledging to protect students and youth from tobacco addiction and keep their schools tobacco free. Promise to Protect is a compelling digital campaign, including a Pledge, aimed at creating awareness on the harmful effects of tobacco and an effort towards preventing youth from initiation of tobacco use. In alignment with the Tobacco Free Educational Institutions guidelines of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW), the campaign seeks to protect and promote public health in India. The digital conference moderated by renowned television actor and presenter Karanvir Bohra, was joined by eminent speakers and panelists - Shri Sanjay Kumar, Secretary (School Education), Ministry of Education, Government of India, Dr. Joseph Emmanuel Director (Academics) Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Dr. Pankaj Chaturvedi, Head and Neck Cancer Surgeon, Tata Memorial Hospital, and Dr Vishal Rao, Group Director for Head & Neck Surgical Oncology and Robotic Surgery at HCG Cancer Centre, Bengaluru. Besides them, the conference hosted victims of tobacco use, who talked about their life journey and struggles due to tobacco use.

Actor and presenter Karanvir Bohra at the campaign launch

The 1,000 teachers as well as their schools together took an online pledge as a sign of their commitment towards building a healthier and tobacco-free future for the youth of the nation. So far, over 1 lakh pledges by school teachers and students have been taken. Selected teachers shared poignant personal stories related to tobacco use and its profound impact, lending gravity to the situation. The collaborators presented their educational initiatives and plans to implement tobacco control education in their curriculum, highlighting the crucial role of early education in preventing initiation of tobacco use.

In his keynote address, Shri Sanjay Kumar, IAS, Secretary (School Education), Ministry of Education, Government of India said, “India is the second largest user of tobacco products and tobacco addiction of a large number of adults has been initiated during adolescence. Young minds such as school children can be easily influenced into tobacco use with long-term damaging effects on health and well-being. I strongly believe that initiatives such as “Promise to Protect” have the potential to engage teachers, students and the youth in general on a united platform and will converge the efforts of various government agencies and organizations.” He called upon the teachers to engage with students on personal level and motivate them to stay away from any kind of addiction.

Dr. Joseph Emmanuel Director (Academics) Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Government of India, New Delhi said, “The Tobacco-free educational institution guidelines (TEFI) aim to create smoke-free environment around educational institutions. It prohibits the sale, advertisement, and use of tobacco products on educational campuses, ensuring a healthy learning atmosphere. These guidelines safeguard public health, protects our youth, and paves the way for a brighter, smoke-free future. It is imperative to educate the youth on the role and risks related to tobacco consumption to eradicate the menace caused by it. Let us stand united in this vital endeavor for a healthier and thriving nation.” Let us all be united with the Ministry of Education for the success of this noble endeavor for a tobacco free world.

Sharing his views, Dr. Pankaj Chaturvedi, Head and Neck Cancer Surgeon, Tata Memorial Hospital said, “Tobacco use is a leading preventable cause of death in the world, and in India, it is responsible for around 1 million deaths annually. In India, 28.6% of people older than 15 years of age consumed some forms of tobacco. While various initiatives and innovative teaching methods are being adopted by schools across the country to educate students about the dangers of tobacco, it is crucial to introduce awareness programs in schools to educate students about the risks of tobacco use. It is necessary to implement anti-tobacco education in the curriculum, highlighting the crucial role of early education in preventing tobacco initiation. I encourage the youth to give up the habit of tobacco use, and not consider it a style statement no matter how much the tobacco industry and OTT platforms may try to promote the same.”

"Drawing inspiration from Gandhiji's teachings, I'm proud to be part of the 'Promise to Protect' campaign, which seeks to safeguard our nation's future from the clutches of tobacco. I'm deeply grateful to the Ministry of Education for spearheading this endeavour. This isn't merely a cause; it's a calling. I urge everyone to join us, pledge on our website, and be a beacon of change. Let's collectively ensure that our children inherit a healthier, tobacco-free India," said Karanvir Bohra, TV Actor and Anchor.

The conference reinforced the idea of "Nasha Mukt Bharat" (the government’s initiative aimed at making the country drug-free) on 2nd October marking the 153^rd Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the National. On this day in 2008, the government had also mandated the smoke-free laws in the country. The event also highlighted that just as Mahatma Gandhi led India towards freedom, our teachers today can lead our youth towards a tobacco-free future. This campaign was developed in a partnership with the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases. 21 civil society organizations joined the campaign and helped mobilize a large network of teachers, schools and pledges.

Video Link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIL2oB-WP30

The Promise to Protect pledge website: promisetoprotect.co.in.

“We, the teachers and students of India, Promise to Protect our friends, our families, ourselves and our planet from the harmful effects of tobacco. We promise to educate, to inspire, and to support a Tobacco free India.”

MPs came together in support of the proposed COTPA (Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act) Amendment Bill, 2020

Parliamentarians from various political parties came together to deliberate and pledge their commitment for stronger tobacco control polices and laws in India at Constitution Club of India, New Delhi. Mr. Muzibulla (Munna) Khan, MP; Rajya Sabha, Mr. Sujeet Kumar, MP, Rajya Sabha, Ms. Sulata Deo, MP, Rajya Sabha; Mr. Niranjan Bishi, MP, Rajya Sabha; Ms. Mamata Mohanta, MP, Rajya Sabha; Mr. Thakor Jugal Lokhandwala, MP, Rajya Sabha; Mr. Pratap Chandra Sarangi, Former Union Minister of state, MP, Lok Sabha.

Speaking passionately in favour of the proposed COTPA amendment bill, Mr. Muzibulla (Munna) Khan, MP, Rajya Sabha said, “Smoking not only harms the smokers butendangers non-smokers when exposed to secondhand smoke.Treatment of tobacco related diseases costs much more than the revenue earned from tobacco. Strengthening COTPA is anurgent requirement to save the new generation from falling into the trap of tobacco addiction.”

The Government has initiated the process to strengthen the tobacco control law - Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act) COTPA 2003 Amendment Bill, 2020 by addressing the existing gaps. Mr. Pratap Chandra Sarangi, Former Union Minister of state, MP, Lok Sabha said, “We need to strengthen the law for a healthy nation. A stringent law and its effective implementation are critical to reduce tobacco use in India. Although law prohibits smoking in public places it is yet continuing. Tobacco has adverse impact on environment too. We need to save our next generation.”

The parliamentarians participating in this session unanimously assured their full support in favour of this amendment bill. They shared their views on the urgent need of improving public health by working towards curbing tobacco usage especially among children as well as youngsters.

Mr. Sujeet Kumar, MP, Rajya Sabha said, “The proposed amendments in COTPA is a commendable move and we will try to get more MPs onboard in support of this national campaign. We will have to save our children from getting addicted to tobacco. As they mostly get hooked to the habit of tobacco at school level we should take this campaign against the harmful substance on a war footing at school level. We will have to also protect our children against secondhand smoke exposure.” 

“The government took bold action by banning e-cigarettes in 2019 to address the danger to India’s youth from aggressive marketing of these nicotine-laced addictive products. We are committed to protecting our youth from the menace of tobacco by stronger laws and policies,” added Mr. Thakor Jugal Lokhandwala, MP, Rajya Sabha.

Delivering the introductory remarks, Mr. Ranjan Kumar Mohanty, Secretary, PECUC said, “Considering the need of strengthening tobacco control laws, we are very encouraged to see the support from parliamentarians, who have come today to reiterate their support and commitment for a tobacco free India.”

The proposed COTPA (Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act) Amendment Bill, 2020 has provisions such as establishing effective penalties and fines, disallowing retail sale of loose sticks of cigarettes, prohibiting sale of tobacco products to persons below 21 years, putting controls on in-shop advertising and banning designated smoking areas at hotels/restaurants as well as at airport lounge to create complete smoke free environment.

More than 1.3 million people die annually in India due to tobacco related diseases.The secondhand smoke exposure causes tremendous economic burden of INR 567 billion in healthcare costs ,annually, in addition to the staggering 1773.4 billion Indian rupees ($27.5 billion) in annual economic burden from tobacco use.

About PECUC and Coalition for Tobacco Free Odisha

People’s Cultural Centre (PECUC) is a 32-year-old civil society organisation dedicated to the cause of children, women, youths, older people, and vulnerable communities. A non-profit voluntary organisation, PECUC was formed with the purpose to empower the weaker sections of the society. Over the years PECUC worked with children, women, the aged, scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other socio-economically backward and marginalised communities. The "Coalition for Tobacco Free Odisha" is a coalition of civil society organisations and concerned citizens coordinated by PECUC, working together to improve public health by reducing tobacco usage especially among children as well as youngsters and pursuing the goal of a tobacco-free India.

For more information, please visit www.pecuc.org.

Multi-disciplinary research network convenes to identify research priorities for tobacco control in India
 

This two-day Meet in Delhi was inaugurated by dignitaries like, Ms. Preeti Sudan, Former Secretary, MoHFW, GoI; Dr. K. Srinath Reddy, President Public Health Foundation of India and; Dr. M Bhaskara Rao, President, HRIDAY and Dr. Monika Arora, Executive Director, HRIDAY. Key researchers presented their research findings from the World Health Organization and several research and academic institutes including HRIDAY, Public Health Foundation of India, Indian Council of Medical Research, PGIMER Chandigarh, NIMHANS, MAMC and associations like the Dental Council of India and the Cardiological Society of India.

As India tries to rebuild and recover from the onslaught of the COVID pandemic, two critical research studies undertaken by HRIDAY shed light on the inter-linkages between COVID and tobacco and vulnerabilities due to increased viewership (tobacco exposure) of online streaming platforms.

These research results have important implications for informing tobacco control in the country and have underscored the importance of a Multi-disciplinary Research Network to consolidate and streamline research; plan dissemination and uptake by multi-sectoral partners; mobilise resources; identify, develop, and implement research priorities to generate evidence and; engage with multiple stakeholders to translate research into action, at the national, sub-national and local levels.

Tobacco use and COVID-19

HRIDAY conducted a study to assess tobacco use behaviours and predictors of quitting, among adult tobacco users during the lockdown. This study strongly highlighted that stringent tobacco control measures implemented by the Government of India, during the lockdown, including restricting access to tobacco products, created a supportive environment for tobacco cessation among users.

Tobacco imagery in Bollywood films and streaming platforms

A study conducted on compliance monitoring of the Indian Tobacco-free Television and Film Rules, on tobacco use imagery in Bollywood has revealed, that since the implementation of the Rules in 2012, there was an overall decrease in tobacco use depiction in films. India is the only country in the world to enforce these stringent measures to curb tobacco use exposure in entertainment Media.

Another study observed a shift in tobacco exposure from films and television to on-demand streaming platforms, which are not currently being regulated under the ambit of the Tobacco-free Television and Film Rules. 70% of the series on these platforms that were popular among adolescents and young adults portrayed tobacco use. Given that Indians were confined to homes which resulted in a skyrocketing increase in consumption of online content, this study also has critical implications to expand the regulatory net of the Tobacco-free Film and TV Rules to OTT platforms for complete enforcement of Section 5 of COTPA.

More details on these studies are appended.

Ms. Preeti Sudan, Former Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, said, “Application of context specific tobacco control research from India to further support the work of the government and public health practioners is critical. A multi-disciplinary research network that will identify research needs and streamline short - mid - and long-term research studies is a welcome step. It is also very important to focus on community-based participatory research so that real evidence from the field, encompassing insights from people, frontline health workers and self-help groups can be integrated into research planning, outcomes and its application for action.”

Dr. K. Srinath Reddy, President, Public Health Foundation of India said, “COVID-19 has highlighted the need to prevent co-morbidities which convert infection into serious illness. Many of those co-morbidities are linked to tobacco-related diseases. The virus sends a clear message that people must avoid any type of tobacco consumption and use this pandemic to give up the habit if they are already addicted.”

Dr. M. Bhaskara Rao, President, HRIDAY said, “This dissemination workshop for the Global Challenges Research Fund: Tobacco Control Capacity Building Programme, a multi-country collaboration having 15 partners across 8 countries is being conducted as a multi-stakeholder engagement meeting over two days. All recent research evidence around COVID and Tobacco use behaviours in India, impact of Tobacco free film rules, Tobacco taxation and Smokeless tobacco use in South Asia under ASTRA program are being disseminated and deliberated today to ensure that robust evidence informs future interventions and actions to strengthen tobacco control in India.”

Dr. Monika Arora, Executive Director: HRIDAY and Professor of Health Promotion at PHFI said, “Our research on COVID and tobacco use, clearly underscored that restricting access and availability and stringent laws prohibiting spitting in public places with huge penalties for violations during COVID lockdown, promoted tobacco cessation among tobacco users in India. In future, we need to step up cessation services like mCessation, Quitline and create wide awareness on benefits of quitting, alongside restricting access of tobacco products, during such pandemics to encourage higher cessation and quit attempts.”

Authors of the study on assessing trends from 2006-2017 on changes in tobacco depictions after implementation of tobacco-free film and TV rules in Bollywood films, “India is the only country in the world enforcing Tobacco Free Film and TV rules and success of these rules is evident in how exposure has declined after these rules have been enforced in 2012. However, New Entertainment Media through Streaming Platforms has created opportunities, where these rules are completely being ignored. Assessment of 10 series popular among youth on OTT revealed that seven out of ten series had tobacco imagery and none were compliant with the Rules. There is an urgent need to regulate tobacco use exposure through these platforms to protect the youth of this country and to ensure we can move in the direction of Tobacco Free Future Generations."

Voices4Vape webinar

The Voices4Vape webinar is the first THR event organized by consumers for consumers. THR is a public health strategy that aims to provide alternatives to reduce risks caused by smoking cigarettes. Health experts estimated that the smoking epidemic claims the lives of 20,000 people a day because of the toxicants found in tobacco smoke.

The online conference at voices4vape.org that will run from 4pm to 8pm (GMT +8) is open to all and has free registration. Initiated by the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA), the webinar will bring together public health policy experts, scientists, professionals, and consumers who believe that the right to safer alternatives is a fundamental human right.

CAPHRA is inviting consumer groups in Asia-Pacific countries to join the webinar and make their voices heard. "This is tobacco harm reduction's first consumer-focused event, and your participation and input are valuable. We are doing this, so we can have a say in our future," CAPHRA said in a statement.

It said the Voices4Vape webinar aims to shed a light on THR products as less harmful alternatives to combustible cigarettes and convince regulators to give consumers a voice in the policy-making process.

Smoke-free THR products include e-cigarettes, heat-not-burn tobacco products, and snus which have been scientifically proven to be less harmful than cigarettes and effective in making millions of smokers globally quit. 

Unlike cigarettes, the use of smoke-free alternatives does not involve combustion. While people smoke for the nicotine, they die of smoke. Scientific studies show that the toxicants and solid particles in cigarette smoke are the main causes of the vast majority of tobacco‐related deaths and diseases.

More than ten years of scientific research show that smoke-free nicotine products are at least 95-percent less harmful than combustible tobacco and have successfully helped millions of smokers globally switch off the deadly alternative.

The webinar assembled some of the world’s leading experts who will bring their own experience, expertise, and unique perspectives to the discussion. Invited to share their insights are Eliana Rubashkyn, a scientist in a pharmaceutical laboratory in Auckland, chief of standards of VTANZ and a board member of UKVIA; Clive Bates, a global proponent of tobacco harm reduction who knows the inners workings of the World Health Organization (WHO); Samrat Chowdhery, president of International Network of Nicotine Consumer Organisations in India; Joey Dulay, president of the Philippine E-Cigarette Industry Association Inc and Jena Fetalino, a public relations practitioner based in Manila who has a solid background in publishing and PR.

Consumer advocacy panelists include Nancy Loucas, executive coordinator of CAPHRA; Stephanie Theusen, director of Stakeholder Engagement for the Progressive Public Health Alliance in Australia; Jagannath Sarangapani, an ex-smoker who switched vaping; Clarisse Yvette P. Virgino, a law school student and tobacco harm reduction advocate in the Philippines; Asa Saligupta, a THR advocate based in Thailand.

Expert panelists include Fiona Patten, a Member of Parliament for the Northern Metropolitan Region in Victoria’s Legislative Council; David Sweanor, an adjunct professor of law and chair of the advisory committee of the Centre for Health Law, Policy and Ethics at the University of Ottawa, Canada; and Terry Barnes, an Australian policy analyst, political commentator and currently Fellow of the UK Institute of Economic Affairs.

The event will be moderated by Gavin Ryan, head of the Progressive Public Health Alliance, a public health organization based in Victoria, Australia.

"We need to unite globally as one, in order to let our voices be heard. As consenting adults, we have every right to choose the way we live our lives, including alternatives to help ourselves create a smoke-free world," CAPHRA said.

The organizers of the webinar invite the public to register at voices4vape.org and participate in the sessions by asking questions via the chatbox. Participants are also encouraged to sign up for the newsletters' mailing list to stay connected, take the online survey, and sign a petition that will be presented to the World Health Organization.

The petition urges the WHO to recommend to their member countries that they immediately work on introducing sensible legislation to legalize and regulate vaping as part of their obligation to tobacco harm reduction, which is a basic human right that many governments currently prohibit.

"We need to unite globally as one. Nothing about us, without us. Join #Voices4Vape to ensure that our voices are heard," CAPHRA said.

“Let your voice be heard. Your personal story and your support will be part of the collective voice of the people in the Asia Pacific and around the world in demanding access to tobacco harm reduction options,” the organizers of Voices4Vape webinar said, “We look forward to seeing you on 26 September 2020.”

About CAPHRA

The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Advocates (CAPHRA) is a regional alliance of consumer tobacco harm reduction advocacy organizations. Its mission is to educate, advocate and represent the right of adult alternative nicotine consumers to access and use of products that reduce harm from tobacco use.

Webinar hosted under the aegis of Council for Harm Reduced Alternatives (CHRA)

The participants from across age groups and backgrounds shared personal experiences regarding quitting smoking and recalled the hardships they faced while going cold turkey as they suffered withdrawal symptoms, mood swings, and most importantly, it took them a long time to give up. They agreed that smoking can’t be quit gradually and also said the lack of government support for tobacco harm reduction alternatives will make the quit journey more difficult for current smokers.

The webinar was hosted under the aegis of Council for Harm Reduced Alternatives (CHRA) which advocates for pragmatic solutions to combat the tobacco epidemic. The panel comprised speakers from Kolkata, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Indore and Pune.

A panelist Tarun Kumar said, “Going cold turkey is the most difficult way to quit smoking as it requires a lot of effort. It takes many attempts to succeed. Smokers also need psychological support when trying to give up. It is important to spread awareness about other cessation methods so that they can supplement their efforts.”

Another participant from Kolkata, Sunil Shaw said he decided to quit smoking after his daughter was born. “Most smokers who go cold turkey are driven by emotional reasons, though health is also a primary factor. In this process, they have to suffer a lot of problems. In a country like India where tobacco consumption is so high that it kills over 10 lakh people every year, we can’t say that cold turkey is the best way to make India a tobacco-free country. I think the authorities should think of promoting scientifically proven methods that can help people in giving up smoking.”

S Lakshminarayan, who participated from Hyderabad, said harm reduction advocacy is extremely important in a country like India. “Harm reduction tools can help smokers in giving up without severe withdrawal symptoms or other health issues such as anger and anxiety. It is important to make smokers aware of various methods available which can help them in giving up smoking.”

Co-hosting the session, tobacco cessation activist Maneesh Kasera said cold turkey is not only one of the hardest methods adopted by smokers but it is also the least successful one, hence there is a need to expand cessation options. “Statistics show that only 5% of smokers are able to quit with the help of their will power. In the remaining 95% cases, willpower needs to be supplemented with counseling or harm reduction methodologies to achieve the target of making India tobacco-free,” he added.

In this context, Delhi-based host Kanav Kumar voiced dissent on the ban of e-cigarettes. “Vaping is widely recognized as one of the most successful alternatives to help smokers quit and many countries including the UK, US, Canada etc are adopting it as a harm reduction method. But India has taken a regressive approach and that left smokers in India with fewer cessation options.”

Support through nicotine gums and patches, enrolling in a cessation programme, reading self-help books and partnering with a ‘quit buddy’ were the other techniques highlighted in the webinar. 

Volunteers at the Let's Do It India Cleanup drive in Delhi on World Clean up day 2019

Observed every year, the World Cleanup Day is the largest one-day peacetime civic action against the waste crisis and also serves as a catalyst in achieving Let’s Do It India’s goals. On this World Cleanup Day (19 September 2020), Let’s Do It India launches “The Fugitive” campaign to stir awareness around the soaring issue of cigarette butt litter, as also aiming at shifting behaviors to reduce cigarette litter. The problem was discerned in the last few cleanup drives where cigarette butts were witnessed to be a major contributor of roadside garbage. Every year trillions of cigarettes are produced resulting in tonnes of toxic waste which is dumped into the environment as cigarette butts. They are one of the most commonly littered items in urban areas worldwide, accounting for 22-46% of visible litter due to their poor biodegradability.

Volunteers at the Let's Do It India Cleanup drive in Kolkata on World Clean up day 2019

In addition to understanding the urgency of the waste management problem, Let’s Do It India is in cognizance of the current COVID-19 situation, and is therefore conducting the campaign virtually. The campaign will be aggressively carried out digitally through social media platforms alongside various webinars that foster dialogues on this pressing issue. The online events will further engage and encourage people to be equal stakeholders in driving change and being part of the World Cleanup Day. 

Let’s Do It India came into action in 2016 and has been focusing specifically on promoting a greater understanding of the connections between people and the environment. It has been able to make a strong presence in 24 Indian states of the country with an astounding volunteer base of over 1 lakh. In addition to this, it has also mobilized over 1.6 million self-driven citizens of India and has collected over 44,000 tons of waste in the year 2019.

With building sustainability being its larger narrative, Let’s Do It India's campaign is powered by Skillex as the main sponsor and Finolex Pipes, Levercode, Spirit Pharma and Karmic Realms OU as Co-sponsors. They have also partnered with The Embassy of Estonia, AIESEC in Delhi IIT, WasTed 360 Solutions, Code Effort Private Ltd., Catalyfe, LEAD India, Decathlon India, Mukul Madhav Foundation, Robotex India, Social Circle, Schbang (Digital Media Partner) and Wishbox Studio (PR Partner) to boost the campaign further. The movement is supported globally by organizations such as UN-Habitat, UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), Earth Day Network, AIISEC, Rotary and Future for Friday.

Prof. Pankaj Choudhary, Founder, Let’s Do It, India, says, “We, at Let’s Do It India, believe in the notion that people want to do the right thing, all they need is a little encouragement or incentive. That’s where we come in, we spread awareness around the pressing environmental issue of waste management and motivate people to step-up and clean their surroundings. The aim is to promote change in individual behavior and divert civil societies and governments attention to the crisis of littering”.

Talking about this year’s awareness campaign Ms. Supriya Rehil, Director, Projects and Communications, Let’s Do It, India and the lead for the campaign added, “We really wish to spur public education about the environmental impacts of cigarette butt litter. I do believe that nature’s sustainable evolution essentially entails the cohesion of people, planet and profits. It is therefore crucial for us to understand our role in curbing and reducing waste. Keeping in mind the safety of our volunteers and the people at large, we encourage everyone to get involved in the virtual campaign and exercise their role towards a clean world.”

World Vape Day

The World Vape Day celebration will see a global social media drive where AVI along with consumer advocacy organisations from 34 nations will spread awareness on the harm reduction potential of vaping and its effectiveness in helping smokers quit.

Citing numerous international studies and research that vaping is much less harmful than smoking, the vapers’ body has been demanding that the e-cigarette sale ban in India be rescinded so that the country’s 100 million smokers can have access to an effective means to quit. “Banning a less harmful alternative to smoking protects the cigarette industry, in which the Indian government continues to hold a major share. How can we claim economic progress if we are still dependent on tobacco for revenues and taxes at the cost of the health of our people? Risk reduction is a right no Indian should be denied,” AVI Director Samrat Chowdhery said.

Nearly a million people die every year in India due to smoking, with the country’s tobacco crisis costing the economy $22 billion (Rs. 1 lakh crore) per annum from mortality and morbidity losses.

Talking about the reasons for celebrating World Vape Day, Dhaval Gogate, an AVI board member, said, “Vaping is increasingly being framed in industry terms, but the real story is about the people, the smokers whom it helped in quitting a deadly habit and leading better lives. We want to tell our stories of struggle and success to the world and highlight that there is a human cost to denying people a safer alternative.”

Gogate pointed to studies that show e-cigarettes are 95% less harmful than combustible cigarettes and have proved to be beneficial in reducing health inequalities caused due to smoking. E-cigarettes also don’t come with the harms associated with secondhand smoking, which kills 850,000 people each year, he said.

On May 30, AVI will organise a live stream where vapers will tell their success stories, along with twitter and email campaigns to sensitise lawmakers, media and the general public on the health and human aspects of vaping. Globally, social media campaigns and online rallies will focus on awareness and pushing back against misinformation. 

AVI page: www.vapeindia.org/worldvapeday Global page: www.worldvapeday.org.

World Vape Day

“Safer nicotine products, such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, are the most disruptive influence on smoking in decades. These are the innovations that have the potential to save millions of lives in the Asia Pacific region as well as globally,” said Nancy Loucas, Executive Director of the Coalition of Asia-Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA), one of the lead organizers of World Vape Day 2020. “These products have disrupted the standard of harm reduction in tobacco by giving the power back to the smokers to choose the option that works for them and allows them to have agency over their own and their loved one's health and wellbeing.”

Vaping can reduce smoking-related sickness, deaths

The number of vapers globally has been increasing rapidly from about seven million in 2011 to 41 million in 2018, according to Euromonitor International. The market research group estimates that the number of adult vapers worldwide will reach almost 55 million by 2021. In its 2018 independent evidence review, Public Health England (PHE) concluded that “e-cigarettes are around 95% safer than combustible cigarettes.” Published in March 2020, the agency’s latest report stated that, “Despite reductions in smoking prevalence, smoking remains the biggest single cause of preventable death and disease and a leading cause of health inequalities. So, alternative nicotine delivery devices that are less harmful could play a crucial role in reducing this health burden.”

The harms associated with secondhand smoke from combustible cigarettes have been clearly established, but these do not apply to e-cigarettes and “secondhand vapor”, according to Peter Paul Dator, president of The Vapers Philippines. “Unlike tobacco cigarettes, e-cigarettes do not burn organic matter at very high temperatures and therefore do not produce toxic fumes. The main components of the liquid used in e-cigarettes are propylene glycol and glycerin, accounting for 95% of the e-liquid. The remaining components are water, nicotine, and flavorings.” Dator cited a study done by the California Department of Public Health that showed that emissions from e-cigarettes utilizing flavored nicotine e-liquid are no different from the air that we breathe walking down the street.

The use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs (ATOD) is a common cause of many preventable deaths and diseases in Australia, according to Stephanie Thuesen, Director of Stakeholder Engagement at The Progressive Public Health Alliance. “Creating policy based on a harm reduction model will benefit the ATOD and mental health sectors exponentially. Therefore, we have recommended to the Australian government to legalize and regulate reduced-harm products in ATOD such as vaping and snus and invest in harm reduction measures, outreach services and rehabilitation centers.”

Saving young smokers

Every day, 80,000 to 100,000 young people around the world become addicted to tobacco, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). If current trends continue, the WHO predicts that 250 million children and young people alive today will die from tobacco-related diseases. 

“The right to harm reduction should extend to all users who currently use combustible tobacco, including youth who currently smoke. Nicotine dependence in youth develops rapidly and over 50% of those youth who smoke daily are already nicotine dependent,” said Asa Ace Saligupta who runs the ENDS Cigarette Smoke Thailand consumer group. Saligupta notes that young people are allowed access to medicalized Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), in some countries from the age of 12. “Not allowing the youth access to vaping is questionable. We believe that young people, under the age of 16 or 18, depending upon jurisdictional law, should have access to e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation tool with parental permission.”

Concerns that vaping may appeal to youth or may serve as a ‘gateway’ to smoking are inconsistent with the evidence, according to Jagannath Sarangapani, Director of the Association of Vapers India (AVI). “E-cigarettes have been gateways out of smoking for millions and have been accompanied by declining youth smoking rates. Instead of banning them, governments should regulate e-cigarettes to maximize the benefits of low-risk alternatives while minimizing the likelihood they will be used by youth or non-smokers. Bans serve only to protect the cigarette industry.”

About CAPHRA

The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) is an alliance of consumer organizations from Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand that aims to educate, advocate and represent the right of adult alternative nicotine consumers to access and use of products that reduce harm from tobacco use.

In the letter, vapers asked the Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Railways and Commerce Piyush Goyal, Minister of External Affairs Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman dated March 13, 2020. The Association of Vapers India (AVI) asked them to revise the government's position on electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) ahead of the ninth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP9) to the World Health Organisation's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC) which will be held in The Hague, Netherlands.

Every member country of WHO, including India, has been asked to submit a summary of its position on ENDS. Scientific studies show that smoke-free nicotine products are much less harmful alternatives to combustible cigarettes because they do not produce smoke and tar.  

In the letter signed by board member Jagannath Sarangapani, AVI said that while the Indian government has already taken a position on ENDS by banning their sale through an ordinance and then passing a law in the Parliament last year, personal use and consumption is not prohibited. 

"As the people affected by these decisions and as the Indian delegates to COP9 will be representing the electorate, we respectfully request that you share with us the details of our nation’s position. We also request that the position takes into account the consumers’ rights to choose less harmful products and the available scientific evidence," AVI said.

AVI said the consumers' position is important in making the FCTC more inclusive, which has repeatedly failed to pursue harm reduction as a core tobacco control policy over the past 18 years. India has an opportunity to bring to the global discussion the rights of those who use much less harmful smoke-free alternatives, the vapers said.

"As consumers and voters, we ask you to consider revising your position on ENDS and allow citizens of our country to choose non-pharmaceutical, non-combustible interventions that provide users with the nicotine they enjoy without the smoke and tar, such as ENDS (popularly known as 'e-cigarettes' or 'vaping'), which have been chosen and used by millions of consumers worldwide to easily, effectively and permanently switch from smoking combustible tobacco," AVI said.

"We are mindful that by choosing to ignore the weight of evidence showing lives saved and public health improvements where risk-reduced nicotine products are allowed, WHO and its FCTC continue to press for signatory states to adopt ever more restrictive policies, including outright bans. India is among the nations to have succumbed to this pressure, but we also need to be mindful of our own interests, wherein a majority of our tobacco-using population has limited access to healthcare and hence exploring effective prevention measures such as harm reduction is vital to improving public health," AVI said.

AVI called on the Indian government and its delegates to COP9 to deplore the policy of FCTC to make its sessions closed-door, unaccountable and unreported, representing only vested interests whose actions have thus far impeded the rights of citizens and voters to make informed choices.

AVI said India's delegates to COP9 should instead represent the rights and aspirations of citizens whose taxes are paying for their attendance, who expect them to speak on their behalf and maintain democratic principles.

About AVI

Association of Vapers India (AVI) is a consumer group involved in helping reduce and end tobacco-related harm in India. It has wide representation from former and current tobacco users from across the country.

email: contact@vapeindia.org

website: www.vapeindia.org

The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) also asked India's health minister to question the restrictive policy of WHO that tolerates the use of combustible cigarettes, while discouraging the use of 95-percent less harmful smoke-free Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS).

CAPHRA sent separate letters this month to Asian health ministers who will lead the preparation of their countries' position on ENDS, preparatory to the COP9 of WHO-FCTC. 

There are 181 parties to the WHO-FCTC - a global treaty that seeks to protect present and future generations from the devastating health, social, environmental and economic consequences of tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke.

CAPHRA said tobacco use causes a million deaths per year in the Asia Pacific region, with smoke as the main culprit. It said, however, that e-cigarettes provide smokers with an option to get away from smoking and could hasten the demise of the cigarette.

CAPHRA said that as the FCTC has a mandate to pursue “harm reduction” as a core tobacco control policy, it has failed to acknowledge or implement this policy over the last 18 years. It has effectively deprived smokers of an effective way out of smoking, according to the coalition.

CAPHRA also noted that the successive FCTC-COPs had refused to consider the overwhelming scientific evidence proving ENDS to be a much less harmful alternative to smoking and an extraordinarily effective smoking cessation strategy that has worked for millions of smokers in developed countries.

“It is a violation of the human rights of all smokers and current users of safer nicotine products, to ban or restrict access to these products and it goes against the mandate of the WHO FCTC Article 1 that clearly outlines a two-pronged approach to the global tobacco crisis that includes a harm reduction approach,” CAPHRA said.

The coalition, therefore, asked Asian health ministers to bring to FCTC-COP9 discussion the consumers' rights to choose less harmful products as a way to protect themselves from smoke.

India's central government imposed a ban on the sale and advertisement of vaping products in 2019 and threatened penalties of up to three years in prison. While the use and possession of vaping devices are exempt from the ban, this is not clarified at various levels of the government. 

CAPHRA said that with appropriate regulations, India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has an opportunity to help millions of smokers switch to safer alternatives such as smoke-free e-cigarettes, heat-not-burn tobacco and snus.

“Nicotine is not the enemy, it is smoke, and tar and the other by-products of combustion. Yet this government continues to permit the sale and use of the obviously most dangerous nicotine product (smoking cigarettes) alongside certain alternative nicotine products while refusing to acknowledge the benefits of allowing smokers to switch to other novel nicotine products that are now known to be both far safer and also more effective in aiding smokers to stop using combustible tobacco,” CAPHRA said.

“As consumers and voters, we ask you to consider allowing citizens of this country to choose non-pharmaceutical, non-combustible interventions that provide users with the nicotine they enjoy without the smoke and tar, such as ENDS (popularly known as 'e-cigarettes' or 'vaping'), which have been chosen and used by millions of consumers worldwide to easily, effectively and permanently switch from smoking combustible tobacco,” it said.

CAPHRA also asked India's delegates to COP9 to deplore the policy of FCTC to make its sessions closed-door, unaccountable and unreported. It said such sessions represented only the vested interests of some groups whose actions have thus far impeded the rights of citizens and voters to choose for themselves to switch to safer alternatives to deadly smoking.

“Delegates to COP9 should be representing the rights and aspirations of the citizens whose taxes are paying for their attendance, who expect them to speak on their behalf, acknowledge the science underpinning the harm reduction benefits of ENDS, and maintain democratic principles,” the coalition said.

“Consumers and voters have the right to make choices that help them avoid adverse health outcomes and smokers have the right to access less harmful nicotine products as alternatives to smoking. We ask you to take into account of this right when making your submission to COP9,” CAPHRA said.

Dr. K Hari Prasad, President, Apollo Group Hospitals at IIMB during the book launch

Dr. Hari Prasad is a popular figure, not just because he helms one of the largest healthcare organizations of the country, but also because he is an extremely popular erstwhile cricketing star. He made his Ranji trophy debut with Mohammed Azharuddin, and played alongside stalwarts including M. V. Narsimha Rao, L. Sivaramakrishnan, W. V.Raman and Saad bin Jung.

I’M Possible, a book from Dr. K Hari Prasad, President, Apollo Group - Hospitals

I’M Possible captures the unbelievable life story of Dr. Hari Prasad, who has seen it all-from being an average performer in school to becoming a cricketing star; from fighting a legal battle to get into a medical college to giving up cricket overnight; from falling in love to tying the knot at a barely-marriageable age; from excelling as a doctor to giving up practising completely; from being a fit sportsman to falling prey to tobacco addiction and eventually combating cancer taking up a nearly impossible health challenge and emerging as an inspiration to many.

Speaking during the book launch Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group said, "Everybody I met here has a good word for Hari, I met him 23 years ago, he is instrumental in creating an emergency system like nowhere in the world. He created a model emergency care for the Indian Healthcare. But what really impressed me was his ability to bring a change and make this huge difference for healthcare in our country. He has many more thing to do, to transform a good institution into a great institution.”

"Like everyone I too had my peaks and valleys, as the saying goes, one learns from mistakes I too learned many lessons from mistakes, this book is a compilation of all the mistakes I made and the lessons I learnt. There are many twists and turns in my life, I have been honest and captured my journey factually. It is more aimed at helping readers to avoid what is avoidable. It's a celebration of all those who impacted my life and what I am today is because of them. I have started a charitable institution for helping the needy in education, health and sports and all the proceeds of this book will go towards these causes," says, Dr. K Hari Prasad (President, Apollo Group-Hospitals) during his interaction at Apollo Hospitals Bannerghatta Road (Bangalore).

The Delhi-based publisher Ananya Sharma said that the book has become a sensation even before being launched and has gone into a third reprint on the day of the launch. The book is available on Amazon and leading book stores.

Talking about the challenges associated with the book, Ananya said, "Anyone who knows Dr Hari would know that he is a private person and a man of very few words. Thus, developing the story was a major challenge. His responses were mostly syllabic! Our team kept interacting with him, determined to tell this larger-than-life story in the simplest of words that vividly bring out the emotional side of an otherwise stern and reserved individual-one who underplays his achievements and often does revolutionary things from behind the curtain. And I daresay the product is a masterpiece! I have done books all my life but this one altered my DNA. The leaves of I’M Possible hold magic between them! It would leave the readers intrigued, enchanted and motivated. This book could be the sacred text for all those who have bullish ambitions and want to achieve something extraordinary in life.”

Blurb of the book

Dr. Hari Prasad has seen it all-from being an average performer in school to becoming a cricketing star; from fighting a legal battle to get into a medical college to giving up cricket overnight; from falling in love to tying the knot at a barely-marriageable age; from excelling as a doctor to giving up practising completely; from being a fit sportsman to falling prey to tobacco addiction and eventually combating cancer...

This book, I'M Possible, is the journey of a young Hari, who becomes an overnight sensation in the world of cricket. His bails fell when he fell for a Hyderabadi lass, who remained oblivious to his feelings for quite some time, But an ardent Hari finally succeeded in wooing her..

From 'Hari' to 'Dr Hari' to 'Daddy, hurry!' he did well at each stage in his life; he took many a difficult decision, even in the face of bitter opposition. Throughout his life, whenever things would seem settled, the earth beneath his feet would move, shattering everything around him.

This is the story of a visionary the man behind the evolution and revolution of Emergency Medical Services in India. This book captures Dr Hari's meteoric rise to being the Group President of one of India's leading hospital chains-Apollo Group of Hospitals.

He was extremely successful, but had a weakness-addiction to tobacco. With considerable effort, he overcame it, but the damage had been done. Soon after giving it up, he was diagnosed with leukaemia-a type of cancer. He fought the deadly disease and came out unscathed. Once cured, he decided to do something about his health.

This led to a radical shift in his life; he became a new Hari! He has lost almost 50 kilos in twenty-five months and all of this was done through dietary changes and exercises. I'M Possible is his unbelievable journey of transformation from weighing 115 kilos to less than 68 kilos!

In this magnificent book, Dr. Hari captures his larger-than-life story in the simplest of words that vividly bring out the emotional side of an otherwise stern and reserved individual-one who underplays his achievements and often does revolutionary things from behind the curtain.

I'M Possible is an astounding page-turner that possesses the charm of a bygone era and holds the promise of a beautiful tomorrow. It is a tale of love, hope, grit, determination, courage and triumph. I'M Possible is a treat for everyone, irrespective of age, gender, geography and profession.

About the Author

Born in 1964, Dr. K. Hari Prasad has had a long and successful career as a cricketer, clinician and administrator. He was one of the youngest Ranji Trophy players, having represented Hyderabad while he was still at school.

After completing his post-graduation in anaesthesiology-which helped him in many ways as a practising anesthesiologist, intensivist and emergency physician during his dinical career-he joined his father at their family-run hospital, Sridevi Nursing Home, in Hyderabad. But then, when no one expected him to, Dr. Hari joined Apollo Hospitals.

At Apollo, he transitioned to a full-time administrator while setting up Emergency Services across Apollo units in the country. He is often regarded as the pioneer of Emergency Medicine in India. His journey from being the Vice-president of Apollo Hospitals Hyderabad, to CEO-Central Region, and finally, the Group President, has been phenomenal!

On the personal front, he faced several difficulties, some self-inflicted and some beyond his control. He faced each of these challenges and overcame them with grit and determination. I'M Possible is his first foray into writing.

Apart from what he does at work, Dr. Hari is now trying to make a difference to the lives of those around him. He plans to spend his post-retirement years working for a cause that has been on his mind for quite some time now.

After Parliament passed the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Bill, 2019, doctors have raised concerns about people becoming vulnerable to chronic heart and lung diseases.

Suggesting that the government should have conducted more studies before banning e-cigarettes, Dr. Bharat Gopal, Senior Pulmonologist and Director of National Chest Centre, Delhi, said, "There is data available regarding e-cigarettes as smoking cessation devices from the UK, so Indian studies should have been taken up by the government as well as health organisations. A lot of smokers come to us asking for alternatives so that they can quit smoking. Hence, the government should at least allow research and studies to be conducted on these alternatives so that in future, this could be a tool for smoking cessation.” 

“A ban will also give rise to a black market and the government will not have any control over it. It would have been in greater public interest if the government would have regulated e-cigarettes and allowed more research on harm reduction tools."

Dr. Sree Sucharitha, a Researcher at Tagore Medical College, Chennai, questioned the whitepaper by Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) which proposed a ban on e-cigarettes. She said it contained one-sided views and therefore can't be seen as fair research.

She said, "There are many ex-smokers in India who moved to e-cigarettes because they failed with nicotine gums and patches, and now with the ban they will be forced to go back to smoking. This is a regressive step taken by the government, which is often skeptical about new developments. This happened with vaccines, condoms etc. in the past but the policies ultimately changed. The bill to ban e-cigarettes is a defeat for science."

Calling it an undemocratic move, Dr. Aparajeet Kar from the Pulmonology Department of BLK Super specialty Hospital, New Delhi, said, "The bill to ban e-cigarettes is surprising in a country like India where so many deaths are reported due to smoking. The government has neglected the harm reduction benefits of e-cigarettes and has been relying only on the biased whitepaper of ICMR. Those who gave up smoking with the help of vaping devices will now be vulnerable to diseases such as lung cancer, COPD, bronchitis etc. as they will move back to conventional smoking due to non-availability of e-cigarettes. The government should have considered regulation as it has been done in various other countries, but banning is not a solution."

Jagannath Sarangapani, Director of Association of Vapers India (AVI), a consumer body that represents e-cigarette users, said, "Lakhs of vapers who are former smokers are facing a serious crisis as this ban has forced them to return to smoking and other forms of tobacco. Instead of coming to their aid, the government has pretended they don't exist, nor do the 110 million current smokers who have been denied access to less harmful alternatives."

The Delhi High Court had on Friday directed the AAP government to urgently examine the issue of regulating sale and consumption of e-cigarettes. The Delhi government in an affidavit filed before the court last year had indicated it is considering banning the sale of e-cigarettes.

“COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and other smoking-related diseases are galloping forward in the race to be the top killers of mankind. One wrong choice and there is no looking back, but this can be stopped,” said Dr. Bharat Gopal, Senior Pulmonologist and Director, National Chest Centre, Naraina, New Delhi. “Lot of my patients want to quit but fail with the standard tools of smoking cessation. Do I have something to at least reduce their harm?”

“E-cigarettes and other types of harm-reducing alternatives have been available since 2003 and have helped millions quit the habit of smoking. These products meet the needs of some ex-smokers by substituting physical, psychological, social, cultural and identity-related aspects of tobacco addiction. Much scientific evidence is available for them, but surprisingly our Indian patients are kept away from these due to the prevailing laws,” said Dr. Gopal.

"The important aspect is to bust the myth that these are the same as cigarettes – it is the elimination of combustion which is important. It is imperative that all stakeholders sit together and formulate policies as a way forward to benefit our patients in reducing risk and leading a healthier life," Dr. Gopal said.

Farrukh Khan, a Senior Lawyer of Delhi High Court, said, “Before framing any policy on e-cigarettes or coming to any conclusion, the government should meet all the stakeholders – consumers, doctors, harm reduction advocates etc. Outright banning safer alternatives will deprive citizens of their fundamental right to live with dignity as mentioned in Article 21 of the Constitution. The regulation should ensure these products are out of reach of minors.”

“A ban also militates against Article 14 (which stipulates equality before law) as it exempts tobacco cigarettes, which are more injurious to public health and the cause of the majority of tobacco-related deaths across the world. The ban will help the tobacco industry, not public health,” he added.

Samrat Chowdhery, Director of Association of Vapers India, a consumer body that advocates for safer tobacco alternatives, said, “There is ample scientific evidence that e-cigarettes are at least 95% less harmful than smoking, with negligible second-hand risk. Over 65 nations including the US, all 28 EU countries, Canada, UAE and New Zealand have regulated their use, with the UK raising awareness about them through its public health network. We hope the Delhi government takes an evidence-led view which respects consumer choice and the right of citizens to reduce health risk.”

"Denying people access to these alternatives will worsen the smoking crisis by ensuring smokers have fewer effective options to wean away from the deadly habit which kills 8 million people globally and over a million in India every year," Chowdhery said.

About Association of Vapers India (AVI)

Association of Vapers India is a non-profit advocacy group that champions the use of vapor products and electronic cigarettes to help smokers quit. It provides information to smokers regarding quitting smoking and gives them resources and tools to begin and complete their quit journey. AVI currently have access to 1,00,000 vapers, and hopes to bring people from different walks of life together in the fight against tobacco. AVI along with the help of experts and researchers has also initiated dialogue with the Indian government to find a balanced way to regulate the e-cigarette market and products to ensure it is available to smokers looking to quit.

Please visit www.vapeindia.org for all the latest researches and supportive documents.

AXA in India is undertaking a project as part of it Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative with Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) on ‘Implementing a setting-based health promotion intervention for prevention and control of non-communicable diseases’. The project involves implementing innovative behaviour change interventions on NCD prevention and control in multiple settings including schools, colleges and workplaces- across all age groups.

Speaking about the initiative, Marie-Louise Elhabre, Chief Executive Officer, said, “AXA as an insurance brand is about protecting people over the long term. For us, corporate responsibility is an essential part of our vision as we strive to empower people to live better lives. We can do so by educating people about the risks that face them and help them change their behaviours to better manage their risks. We have adopted this approach of risk prevention to address the growing problem of NCDs in India.”

Nagarajan V, Head HR and Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer added, “India is facing huge economic burden in relation to NCDs and mental health conditions. As a responsible corporate, AXA is working on reducing the risk factors of NCDs with vulnerable populations around the regions where we operate – in Bengaluru and Pune cities. This effort is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 of ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages.”

The study is guided by a multi-disciplinary advisory committee including experts from WHO, academic institutions, NGOs and government representatives. The intervention includes the following components:

1. School-based intervention: To impart health promotion and prevention messages (life-skills based) for the prevention and control of behavioural risk factors contributing to NCDs (unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and tobacco use) and to adopt a model of Health Promoting Schools.

2. College-based intervention: To prevent uptake and promote quitting of tobacco and alcohol use among college students and to promote alcohol and tobacco-free colleges through participatory research and social marketing approach.

3. Worksite intervention: To promote tobacco cessation through proactive offers of tobacco cessation at workplaces with focus on promoting use of national tobacco quit line and m-cessation programme of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.

Dr. Monika Arora, Director of the Health Promotion and Additional Professor at PHFI, said, “We are guided by new evidence that highlights the need to step up cessation efforts at workplaces and the need to prevent NCD risk factors at young age. With heart attacks occurring in early twenties and school children being at risk of Type 2 diabetes, in India, there is dire need to implement innovative solutions to promote behaviour change across all settings.”

Dr. K. Srinath Reddy, President of the Public Health Foundation of India added, “NCDs have been viewed as a problem of adulthood, but children, adolescents and young people are at risk as well. With this partnership, we hope to adopt a comprehensive health promotion approach to promote healthy lifestyles among school children, college students and adults in workplaces and contribute towards reduction and prevention of NCD risk factors.”

About Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI)

The Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) is a public private initiative that has collaboratively evolved through consultations with multiple constituencies including Indian and international academia, state and central governments, multi & bi-lateral agencies and civil society groups. PHFI is a response to redress the limited institutional capacity in India for strengthening training, research and policy development in the area of Public Health (www.phfi.org).

RGCIRC celebrates No Tobacco Day

According to the latest Hospital Based Cancer Registry at RGCIRC, more than 40% cancer cases in males and 12% cancer cases in females were linked to tobacco usage during the period 2011-2015.

To celebrate World No Tobacco Day, Preventive Oncology Department at RGCIRC is organizing Free Oral Cancer Screening from 24^th May to 7^th June 2018 especially for smokers and tobacco chewers so as to help detect cancer in the early stages when it can be treated successfully.

“Healthy lifestyle holds the key to cancer prevention. Up to 2/3 of all cancers may be prevented by avoiding tobacco and adopting other healthy habits. Preventive Oncology OPD at RGCIRC provides screening for three most common cancers – breast, cervix and oral cancers – at highly subsidized rates. Regular OPD is conducted from Monday to Saturday by Dr. Jai Gopal Sharma and Dr. Indu Agarwal,” said Dr. Sudhir Rawal, Medical Director, RGCIRC.

“Over 70 per cent of cases report for diagnostic & treatment services in advanced stages of disease resulting in poor survival and high mortality rates. Preventive Oncology embraces measures to prevent occurrence of cancer and to detect cancer at the earliest stage,” added Dr. Rawal.

At the same time, Free Tobacco Cessation Counseling drive is on during the campaign so as to motivate tobacco consumers to shun the habit. “Tobacco is addictive and it is difficult for tobacco consumers to quit on their own. Motivation and support is critical to overcome the dependence on tobacco,” added Dr. Rawal.

“Besides providing world class facilities for cancer treatment, RGCIRC is sharply focused on prevention of cancer. As a pioneering move, RGCIRC has set up Preventive Oncology Department primarily to focus on creating awareness among the public about the need to screen for early detection of cancer. We are aligned with the vision of a healthy India and will continuously strive for prevention of cancer through awareness in the years to come,” said Mr. D S Negi, CEO of RGCIRC.

Global E-Cigarette Market

Global E-Cigarette Market Size
The market size of e-cigarettes in 2011 was USD ~ million and it grew to USD ~ million in 2016. The global e-cigarette registered a CAGR of ~% from 2011-2016. Various mergers and acquisitions took place between e-cigarette companies during the review period. Many big e-cigarette companies acquired small local players to gain more market share and enter into the local markets. Various mergers and acquisitions that took place in the e-cigarette market around the globe are BAT and CN Creative, Lorillard and Blu, Imperial and Blu, Japan Tobacco and Logic and others.

Global E-Cigarette Market Segmentation
Segmentation by Region: The market of e-cigarettes has been segmented on the basis of regions. The regions that have been included in the report are US, UK, Europe, APAC and MEA. The US market dominated the global e-cigarette market contributing ~% of the total e-cigarette market revenue during 2016. The next region that dominated the e-cigarette market was Europe, with ~% of the total market share during 2016. France contributed the largest revenue in the region with ~% of the overall revenue of Europe followed by Italy and Poland. Asia-Pacific contributed ~% to the overall global e-cigarette market revenues during 2016. Despite a large number of people engaged in the smoking in this region, the people adopting vaping are very limited and the e-cigarette market in APAC region is at a nascent stage.

By Types of Flavors of E-Liquids and E-Cigarettes: The most dominated flavor in the global e-cigarette market is tobacco which contributed around ~% of the global e-cigarette revenue in 2016 followed by botanicals with ~% of the revenue, fruit flavored products with ~% of the revenue and nicotine flavored e-liquids with ~% contribution in the global e-cigarette market during the same year. In most countries of the world, people start using e-cigarettes with the tobacco flavor as they want to mimic the art of smoking, taste and feel of smoking.

By Purchase Channel: The various channels available for the purchase of e-cigarettes are online channels, vape stores and other retail stores. Online channel contributed ~% of the revenue generated by the overall sales of e-cigarettes in the world. In most of the countries, online channel for the distribution and sales of e-cigarettes is more prevalent. This is because it provides ease of buying products and also people can compare the prices of the same product from various websites thus helping them to buy the same product at a lower cost. The vape shops contributed ~% of the revenue generated by the global e-cigarette market.

By Product Type: The e-cigarette devices can be broadly classified into modular, rechargeable and disposable e-cigarettes. The modular e-cigarettes generated around ~% of the revenue in the global e-cigarette market. The rechargeable e-cigarettes generated revenue of ~% in the global e-cigarette market. The prices of the rechargeable e-cigarettes are comparatively higher than the disposable e-cigarettes. However, it is slightly lower than modular e-cigarettes. The disposable e-cigarettes contributed ~% of the total revenue generated by the sales of all e-cigarettes in the world.

By Nicotine Strength: The nicotine strength have been divided into four categories zero nicotine, 1-6mg, 7-15mg and more than 15mg. The zero nicotine strength e-liquids contributed ~% of the overall revenue earned by selling the e-cigarette products globally. The nicotine strength of 1-6mg contributed ~% in the global e-cigarette market whereas 7-15mg nicotine strength contributed ~% of the overall e-cigarette market of the world.

Competitive Landscape of Major Players
The global e-cigarette market is highly fragmented. There are more than 500 e-cigarette players operating and selling e-cigarettes under different brand names around the world. With larger players entering the market, the smaller players such as Ballantyne Brands, FIN Branding and many other small Chinese manufacturers are facing huge competition in the global e-cigarette market. The major companies that dominated the global e-cigarette market are VMR, RJ Reynolds, British American Tobacco, Njoy, Altria, International Vapor Group, Japan Tobacco and many more. These companies contributed around ~% of the total e-cigarette market of the world. The players in the e-cigarette market compete on the basis of different products and flavours of e-liquids that the companies sell.

Future of Global E-Cigarette Market
The market size of e-cigarettes globally in terms of revenue was USD ~ million in 2016 and is estimated to grow at a CAGR ~% from 2016-2021. The market size is estimated to increase to USD ~ million by 2021. The governments across various countries have been implementing stringent policies relating to the tobacco and smoke industry. This will increase the potential of the e-cigarette market. The companies around the world have been competing against each other by introducing more flavours in the market.

Snapshot on US E-Cigarette Market
The e-cigarettes were introduced in the United States during 2006-2007. The scientists and health officials linked cigarette smoking to a large number of adverse effects on health and it was considered to be a major reason for premature death in the United States. In terms of market revenue, the market recorded an increase from USD ~ billion in 2011 to USD ~ billion in 2016 at a significant CAGR of ~% during the same period.

By type of devices, Tank and vapor system dominated the US e-cigarette market by accounting for ~% and ~% respectively to overall e-cigarette market revenues during 2016. By sales channel around ~% of the revenue is earned by retail stores which include vape shops and convenient stores followed by ~% through online channel and ~% by other retail stores such as grocery stores, supermarkets and gas stations during 2016.

The companies such as Altria, Reynolds American, White Cloud, Hana Modz and many others have not just started producing e-cigarettes but are also selling the e-cigarettes in the international markets which have increased the exports of the country. The major e-cigarette players in the country include Reynolds American, Fontem, Altria, Logic and Njoy.

Snapshot on UK E-Cigarette Market
The electronic cigarettes were introduced in UK market in the year 2006. The number of vape stores in UK has increased from ~ in 2015 to ~ stores in 2016. In UK, e-cigarette market is one of the fastest growing products both by volume and value. In 2011, the total number of e-cigarette users was 1.5 million and the number grew to ~ million in 2016. The market for e-cigarettes in 2011 was USD ~ million and it stood at USD ~ million in 2016. The local manufacturers present in the UK market are Apollo, ROK Universal, E-Lites and Blu (Imperial Brands).

Key Topics Covered in the Report

• Executive Summary
• Research Methodology
• Global E-Cigarettes Product Evolution
• Value Chain Analysis of Global E-Cigarettes Market
• Global E-Cigarettes Market Size by Revenue, 2011-2016
• Global E-Cigarettes Market Segmentation, 2011-2016
• Consumer Profile of Global E-Cigarette Market
• Decision Making Process Before Buying E-Cigarettes
• Trends and Developments in Global E-Cigarette Market
• Government Rules and Regulations in E-Cigarette Market
• Competitive Landscape of Major Players
• Future of Global E-Cigarette Market
• Snapshot on The United States E-Cigarette Market
• Snapshot on The UK E-Cigarette Market
• Snapshot on Russia E-Cigarette Market
• Snapshot on E-Cigarette Market in Poland
• Snapshot on E-Cigarette Market in Germany
• Snapshot on E-Cigarette Market in China
• Snapshot on Italy E-Cigarette Market
• Snapshot on France E-Cigarette Market
• Snapshot on Malaysia E-Cigarette Market
• Snapshot on South Korea E-Cigarette Market
• Analyst Recommendations

Source: https://www.kenresearch.com/food-beverage-and-tobacco/tobacco-products/global-e-cigarrette-market/142271-11.html

Cambodia's return to democracy in 1993, while bringing about conditions that should in theory benefit a market such as cigarettes, was also accompanied by rising non-duty paid sales. This resulted in duty paid volumes dropping to around six billion pieces in 2006, although some improvement to 7.5 billion pieces was recorded by 2014. Per capita consumption rates have fallen as the country's population has expanded and stood at 485 pieces in 2015, 24.9% lower than in 1990. Cambodia has a rapidly growing population of 15.5 million people in 2014.

Only just over half of cigarettes smoked are filtered, their share up only slightly on 1990. Virginia blends are the most popular. With per capita incomes rising, demand for mid-priced brands is growing. However, it is high priced brands that are seeing the strongest growth, their share rising to 6% of volumes in 2007 compared with only 2% in 2004. Until the mid-2000's Cambodia had a relatively relaxed approach towards the regulation of the tobacco market. This changed in November 2005, when the country's government ratified the WHO's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Moves following the ratification of the FCTC include the launch of graphic on-pack warnings in July 2010.

America, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Switzerland, Thailand and China are just a few of the sources of imported cigarettes in Cambodia. Cigarette promoters will have to stop work when a tobacco advertisement ban takes effect in late August, a health official said yesterday. A February sub-decree, which also bans advertising tobacco in the media and on billboards, states that the “Promotion of tobacco products to customers by agents of tobacco companies shall be prohibited.” Yel, Daravuth, tobacco-free initiative project managed at the World Health Organization, said this clause meant that cigarette promoters would have to seek alternate jobs.

Within almost six months of a sub-decree going into effect requiring graphic warnings on all cigarette packages, Health Minister Mam Bunheng issued a second warning this month to tobacco companies not complying with the regulations, threatening to take legal action. The January 16 warning follows a first notice issued in early October prompted by companies’ low compliance with the sub-decree, which went into effect in July. Under the rules, graphic photos must cover 50 percent of cigarette packets and a written message in Khmer must cover another 5 percent. Those found violating the rules are subject to fines of about $1,000 for tobacco companies, $500 for distributors and wholesalers and $2.50 for retailers. The ministry will take legal action soon for companies that don’t obey the law and sub-decree,” Bunheng said in the warning. “The ministry . . . will not issue a third warning.” Ung Phyrun, secretary of state at the Ministry of Health, said the ministry will only warn companies twice before punishing them. “This is the principle to make everyone obey the law, to make the companies aware of this,” he said. Phyrun would not directly address why companies are still non-compliant. “We will talk to all the [tobacco] companies that are doing [business] in Cambodia,” he said.

Cigarette companies are spending millions of dollars in advertising and promotional campaigns in Cambodia. Yet the market is small - five to seven billion sticks sold per year - and annual growth, at roughly three percent, is not spectacular. According to studies by, 70 percent of all males smoke, while cultural taboos suggest that the cigarette industry will not be able to make inroads among females: only one female in ten smokes and nearly all of them are above 40 years old. Instead, companies are spending millions building brand loyalty in a country where consumers seem to switch brands on a whim. This means targeting the 18 to 35-year-old smoker and depending on the aspiring middle class to move from their medium-priced cigarettes to higher-priced brands.

For more coverage click on the link below:

https://www.kenresearch.com/food-beverage-and-tobacco/tobacco-products/cigarettes-cambodia-2016/79693-11.html

Related links:

Smokeless Tobacco in France, 2017

Smokeless Tobacco in Finland, 2017

Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Ms Anupriya Patel, along with Prof. K. Srinath Reddy, President - Public Health Foundation of India, and Sir John Beddington, Advisor, University of Oxford launching the South Asia Policy Leadership for Nutrition and Growth (SAPLING) initiative in New Delhi

“The Foresight Report highlights the risks posed by the double burden of malnutrition in South Asia, where overweight and obesity exist alongside undernutrition” said Prof. K. Srinath Reddy, President of The Public Health Foundation of India, and Panel Member. “But the long and damaging path that high-income countries have taken to slowing down rises in obesity rates is not a fixed route”.

At the Foresight South Asia Launch of the Report, which took place today in New Delhi, the Global Panel additionally released a paper “Better diets for a better future: A food system perspective in South Asia”, which highlights the challenges facing the Region now, and in the future. Challenges that South Asian countries will need to address if they are to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal #12 (SDG) target of sustainable food consumption and production, as well as SDG #2 target of ending hunger.

“The level of effort required to address this problem is not dissimilar to the fervor with which the International community confronted HIV/AIDS, malaria and other pandemic diseases.” said Sir John Beddington, former UK Chief Scientific Advisor and Co-Chair of the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition.

Although South Asian countries have made progress in the drive to address health and malnutrition issues, the report shows that food systems are yet to deliver healthy diets:In India, for example, between 80-85% of the country’s population consume processed foods, leading to a shift towards energy-dense foods and away micronutrient rich foods. On the other hand, a ‘business as usual’ scenario projection, shows that there will still be 188 million calorie deficient people in South Asia in 2030.

The Report recommends that in South Asia, specific priorities for action need to include:

• Focusing food and agriculture policies on securing diet quality for infants and young children.

• Improving adolescent girl and adult women’s diet quality as a priority in all policy making that shapes food systems.

• Making fruits, vegetables, pulses, nuts and seeds much more available, more affordable and safe for all consumers.

• Making policies which regulate product formulation, labelling, advertising, promotion and taxes a high priority.

• Recognising animal source foods (e.g. dairy, eggs, fish and meat) as important nutrient sources.

• Institutionalising high-quality diets through public sector purchasing power.

• Refocusing agriculture research investments globally to support healthy diets and good nutrition.

Next month’s India-UK Tech Summit will offer an opportunity to explore partnerships for health-promoting food systems and agriculture, alongside other sectors.

“The Report provides a guide for governments and decision-makers to change course through action and investment to create food systems that promote health and deliver quality diets” said Prof. Sandy Thomas, Global Panel Director.

Copy of the Foresight Report: http://glopan.org/sites/default/files/ForesightReport.pdf

Copy of the South Asia Paper: http://glopan.org/sites/default/files/SouthAsiaPaper_BetterDietsForBetterFuture.pdf

Notes to Editor

The Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition an independent group of influential experts with acommitment to tackling global challenges in food and nutrition security. The Global Panel works to strengthen the evidence-base for action on nutrition and promote opportunities for agriculture and food systems to contribute to progress. Additional information on the Global Panel can be found at: www.Glopan.org and on Twitter @Glo_Pan.

Food Systems and Diets: Facing the Challenges of the 21^st Century was commissioned by the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition to identify decisions governments and decision-makers can take now to ensure delivery of high-quality diets into the future, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Technical report development was overseen by a Lead Expert Group. Additional information on the process can be found at: http://www.glopan.org/foresight-project

The UK is partnering the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) for this year’s UK TECH Summit being held in Delhi in November 2016. The Summit will be an opportunity to explore even closer UK-India cooperation across many fields including Government of India’s key initiatives such as Start-up India, Make in India,Smart Cities Mission and Digital India. The India/UK TECH Summit will demonstrate the depth of India-UK partnerships in business, innovation, research, education and entrepreneurship.

Since the last two days, the Association and its members have been encountering various newspaper reports with respect to the order passed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, dated 23.09.2016, clamming ban of all kinds of ‘Chewing Tobacco’. This is to clarify that the said reports, misinterpreting the Hon’ble Supreme Court’s order, are blatantly erroneous and misleading and does not give the true picture.

Hon’ble Supreme Court vide its order dated 23.09.2016 has stated the following;

“In view of the above, the concerned statutory authorities are directed to comply with the above mandate of law. We also direct the Secretaries, Health Department of all the States and Union Territories to file their affidavits before the next date of hearing on the issue of total compliance of the ban imposed on manufacturing and sale of Gutkha and Pan Masala with tobacco and/or nicotine.”

From the above, it is amply clear that the Hon’ble Court has repeated its earlier directions dated 03.04.2013 directing the Secretaries, Health Department of all States & Union Territories to file their affidavits before next date of hearing (09.11.2016) on the issue of total compliance of the ban imposed on manufacturing and sale of Gutkha which is Pan Masala containing Tobacco and/or Nicotine.

There is no ban on Chewing Tobacco, Cigarette or Beedi by Hon’ble Supreme Court. A copy of the order, which is available on the website of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India is also enclosed for your kind reference. In view of the above, the Association feels that all such misleading statements/reports should be withdrawn immediately and there is no further misapplication and misinterpretation of the Hon’ble Supreme Court’s order.

According to a Global Adult Tobacco Survey conducted by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare recently, it is estimated that out of 10 lacs tobacco attributable deaths 9.30 lacs deaths are due to smoking. Further, 25 percent of TB deaths in India is attributed to smoking and Smoking undoubtedly is a major cause of Oral and Lung Cancer. Additionally, 60000 people die annually due to passive smoking in India.

To view Supreme Court Order, click here

Evidence shows that behaviours that start in adolescence can determine health and wellbeing for a lifetime. Establishing healthy behaviours early in life could change the course of NCDs within a generation, according to the report, Addressing Non Communicable Disease Risk Factors Among Young People: Asia’s Window of Opportunity to Curb a Growing Epidemic, by Toshiko Kaneda and Reshma Naik.

This policy report comes just on the heels of a World Health Organization (WHO)  report released two days ago emphasizing how big of a problem NCDs are in the region, and in India specifically.Without lasting lifestyle changes, NCDs will result ina large number of premature deaths. Already, Indians have a 26 percent chance of dying prematurely between the ages of 30 and 70 due to the four major NCDs. NCDs account for 60 percent of all deaths in India, according to the WHO. 

The report highlights that while India is taking relevant steps to address the health issues caused by harmful substances such as tobacco by introducing health warnings on tobacco packs, banning and restricting advertisement, promotion and sale, raising taxesto make them less affordable and accessible to the public, there is an urgent need to focus even more on fostering healthy behaviours among India’s youth that will have lasting impacts.

Other changes are needed to tackle unhealthy diet and lack of physical activity. The report recommends strengthening regulations governing the food industry such as setting maximum salt, sugar or saturated fat content in food products, food labelling, and taxes on soda. 

The authors of the report also suggestthe creation of safe public spaces and infrastructure for sports, active transport, and other forms of physical activity; the introduction of effective school-based interventions on diet and physical activity; and involving young people, families, schools, and communities in addressing the issue of physical inactivity and unhealthy eating.

Unhealthy diets and too little physical activity contribute to overweight and obesity and consequently to NCDs such as type-2 diabetes, CVD, strokes, and certain cancers. The food processing industry is one of the fastest growing sectors of the Indian economy and accounts for about 50-60 percent of the sugar, salt and fats consumed, making it challenging to encourage healthy diets among young people. Further, seven of every 10 boys and girls in the 13-15 year age group in India get too little exercise, meaning less than 60 minutes per day. More than one in five of them is overweight or obese, placing them at a high risk of developing NCDs.

“We live in an age of convenience where people, both in urban and rural India, are increasingly eating processed food and fast food, leading to a rapid increase in the obese population.” Dr. Anand Krishnan, Professor - Centre for Community Medicine, AIIMS, New Delhi, said upon release of the report. “Aggressive marketing of these foods sets eating patterns for life from early childhood.” He noted that international burger-pizza chains are not the only culprits; even Indian fast food chains are serving unhealthy, high calorie foods. “There is an urgent need for both the government and private sector to adopt an integrated approach and work in close coordination to identify effective solutions and reduce the NCD burden of the nation,” he said. “The threat of obesity looms large at adolescence and needs to be nipped right then." 

Among 13- to 15-year-old secondary school students in India, 19 percent of boys and 8percent ofgirls have used a tobacco productin the past month. Most of this consumption is of non-commercially produced cigarettes—tobacco products like bidi, an inexpensive hand-rolled cigarette made of unprocessed tobacco wrapped in leaves. Products like these are relatively affordable, poorly regulated and easily obtained from street vendors and kiosks. Smokeless tobacco products like chewingtobacco and snuff are commonly used and in some places are used more than cigarettes. The rising popularity of e-cigarettes is another concern, as these donot produce tobacco smoke but may still contain nicotine and other harmful substances. These devices are marketed to youth and are easily available online. 

“Myriad varieties in which tobacco is available in Asia, makes tobacco a very versatile product for adolescent and young people.  Easy access to unregulated products like e-cigarettes and hukkah further exacerbates their vulnerability”,said Dr. Monika Arora, Director: Health Promotion Division and Associate Professor, Public Health Foundation of India at the Conference. She further added,“Strong tobacco control policy measures in some countries e.g. India, Nepal and Sri Lanka have set best practices for the region and the globe. India needs to step up enforcement of tobacco control policies to provide full protection to young people and introduce innovative prevention and cessation solutions to meet one of the NCD targets of 30% reduction in tobacco use prevalence by 2025 that the country has adopted.”

Asia has relatively low levels of alcohol consumption compared to Europe and the Americas, but alcohol use is increasing as social trends shift and marketing efforts target countries with rising economies and large numbers of young people with disposable income. In many Asian countries, less than 10 percent of 13- to 15-year-old

secondary school students have used alcohol in the previous 30 days. But in the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Taiwan, the rates among boys are 20 percent or higher. 

Indiahas a window of opportunity to promote healthy behaviours among its 253 million adolescents and to curb their risky behaviours so that they will grow into healthy, productive adults and to lower the future NCD burden.Sanjay Murdeshwar, Managing Director, AstraZeneca Pharma India Limited said, “This report establishes the urgent need to encourage the young to adopt a healthy lifestyle. It is critical for us to implement interventions in early stages to prevent NCDs since they impose a huge personal, social and economic cost on us. AstraZeneca’s Young Health Programme enables us to provide young people with the information they need to protect their health now and in the future.”

The Population Reference Bureau’s report was funded by the AstraZeneca Young Health Programme (YHP). The YHP was founded in partnership with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Plan International, with local NGO partners to positively impact the health of adolescents in marginalised communities worldwide through research, advocacy, and on-the-ground programs focused on NCD prevention. 

The Population Reference Bureau (www.prb.org) informs people around the world about population, health, and the environment, and empowers them to use that information to advance the well-being of current and future generations.
 

Even as the debate over the size of warnings on cigarette packets continues to evoke strong reactions, smokers seem to have made up their mind – an overwhelming 72% of respondents say that pictoral warnings or plain packaging would have little impact on their habit. Also, only 24% the respondents polled stated that increase in ‘sin taxes’ would compel smokers to give up the habit with 41% of them saying that a stricter imposition on banning smoking in public places would be widely appreciated.

The above, among other significant findings, are part of an ICICI Lombard survey “What’s your stand on smoking?” released today ahead of the ‘World No Tobacco Day’. To highlight the health risks associated with tobacco use and generate awareness, the WHO commemorates World No Tobacco Day on May 31. “Get ready for plain packaging” is the theme set for this year’s campaign. It is worrisome to note then that 53% of the respondents polled stated that they are exposed to some part of passive smoking on a daily basis with a higher percentage (80%) getting exposed at least once a week

Work-related stress (35%) and peer-pressure (38%) were among the chief reasons for people to take up smoking with 49% of the respondents stating it has become a habit hard to quit. Though a small percentage, but it is worth stating that 20% of the respondents felt that smoking is ‘just another habit’ which in moderation should not cause any problems.

Commenting on the Survey, Mr. Sanjay Datta, Chief-Underwriting, Claims & Reinsurance, ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Ltd. said, "The ICICI Lombard survey reveals interesting insights but most significantly it underscores the fact that the fight against smoking is far from over. One of the most alarming findings of the survey was that only 10% of the respondents felt the need to buy a health insurance policy as a measure to combat the problem. It thereby emphasizes that as insurers and as a society, we are yet a long way away from spreading full awareness about the ill-effects of smoking.”

57% of the survey participants stated that they do not hold a health Insurance policy while 77% of those who had a policy said that they own a regular health insurance policy as against a specialized policy with critical illness or one with high deductibles.

ICICI Lombard conducted the national wide survey in the age group 22-45 to which they received over 1000 responses.

About ICICI Lombard General Insurance

ICICI Lombard GIC Ltd. is a joint venture between ICICI Bank Limited and Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited, a Canada-based diversified financial services company engaged in general insurance, reinsurance, insurance claims management and investment management. ICICI Lombard GIC Ltd. is one of the leading private sector general insurance companies in India with a Gross Written Premium (GWP) of Rs 83.07 billion for the year ended March 31, 2016. The company issued over 15.80 million policies and settled over 1.62 million claims as on March 31, 2016.

ICICI Lombard General Insurance has won the coveted “Golden Peacock Award for Corporate Social Responsibility, 2015. The company has received the award for its continuous contribution to CSR and specially for its ‘Caring Hands’ initiative, an employee volunteering CSR program. ICICI Lombard was also conferred with the ‘E-Business Leader’ Award in the General Insurance Category at the 5th annual edition of the Indian Insurance Award 2015 for its performance, growth, product and market innovation, customer service and technology. ICICI Lombard has also won the prestigious Celent Model Insurer Award, 2016 for legacy and Eco-system transformation.

The company also received the Golden Peacock Innovation Management Award 2015 for innovation across multiple functions of its business operations and promoting the 'culture of innovation', with specific acclaim for the company's approach in 'Mobility Solutions' and 'Customer Centric Initiatives'. ICICI Lombard was also named as the "Best Travel Insurance Company" by CNBC Awaaz Travel Awards 2015 presented by the Chattisgarh Government based on an online and on-air survey.

For more information, please visit our website www.icicilombard.com