Since inception it is one of the major areas of our work as we believe that mortality and morbidity associated with tobacco is totally preventable and India has huge tobacco associated health burden.
Since inception it is one of the major areas of our work as we believe that mortality and morbidity associated with tobacco is totally preventable and India has huge tobacco associated health burden.
At present Shram is spearheading a Pan India E Cigarettes ban as we realize that all tobacco companies are slowly switching to E cig and propagating a false agenda by calling smoking by ENDS (Electronic Nicotine Delivery System) as VAPING. These Companies allege that inhalation of nicotine by ENDS is harmless as compared to smoking and hiding the data that ENDS come with their own set of health problems few of them devastating with lots of adverse health outcomes and it can actually be a stepping stone for conventional smoking in teens.
1- We meet regularly with these anti tobacco officials all over India.
2- Awareness campaign in college and schools against E cigarettes in youth.
3- Awareness campaign in parents regarding adverse effects of E cigarettes.
4- Lodging formal protest against E platforms selling E cigarettes.
We have experienced that every time we push cigarettes back by pressurizing Govt to increase taxes on cigarettes, increase size of pictorial warnings on both sides of cigarettes and thereby making them less available, to make them more repulsive by making citizens of India more aware of harm caused by cigarettes, there decreased availability is immediately filled by contraband cigarettes with very low prices as they evade all kinds of duties and taxes i.e. Customs duty, GST, etc in very attractive packs, and without mandatory 85% Health Warning and, therefore, have become very popular particularly amongst the youth. These cigarettes seem to be available in almost every second shop and spreading further at an alarming rate. Since there is no Health Warning on these packs (in some cases warning is in foreign language) these cigarettes also give an impression that these are safer cigarettes. Wide spread availability of smuggled cigarettes without the specified health warnings are against the tobacco control objectives of the Govt., in fact, it nullifies all the good work done so far by the Government.
1 Awareness campaign in Railways by constantly making them aware about how Indian railways are being used as medium for smuggling and effective steps that can be taken to stop this menace
2 Awareness campaign in Police and about identification and punitive action that can be taken against dealers of contraband cigarettes
3 Awareness campaign in traders and small shopkeepers about punitive actions slapped on them if they found selling contraband cigarettes and why contrabands are illegal.