In a bid to elaborate the effect of pictorial warnings on tobacco products, India is all set to introduce “larger” health warnings.
So far Thailand, Nepal and Sri Lanka use large health warnings, meaning that a bigger display area is used to depict the grapics. While, in Thailand 85 per cent of the area is used for displaying the warnings, in Nepal manufacturers are supposed to cover 75 per cent of the pack with the health warnings. Like wise, Sri Lanka also make use of 80 per cent of the pack on pictorial warnings. Contrary to this, in India only 20 per cent of the display area is used to depict the graphics.
Even the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) suggests that “no less than 30 per cent of the principal display area should be used for the graphics”. In a recent regional workshop for South-East Asia on implementation of the WHO FCTC, it desired that India should also increase the display area by introducing larger health warnings. “Countries should adopt large graphic health warnings as a matter of priority,” it said.
The officials in the health ministry are also of the opinion to introduce large health warnings before they opt for plain packaging-which is eventually the aim. “We have decided to take some action in this regard and gradually start using larger pictures. While discussion are on regarding plain packaging. Until that can be implemented, it would be desirable that larger health warnings are introduced, ” said a senior official in the health ministry.
Plain packaging meaning that packaging of cigarette and hand-rolled cigarettes cannot have colours, embossing, logos, brand images and promotional information-
has so far been introduced by Australia. Impressed by Australia’s effort, the Indian government is also studying a model adopted in Australia which brought down the number of smokers in Australia, officials say that this could be example for India to be adopted. “We have a huge young population addicted to tobacco. Plain packaging, particularly the Australian case study, can be an example for India,” added the official.
The Global Adult Tobacco Survey says India has nearly 274.9 million tobacco users, the third-largest in the world. Tobacco kills nearly one million people every year.