Can you think of someone who lost their lives to cancer? Isn’t it strange that almost all of us know at least someone who has died of cancer? This is because cancer cases in India are exploding, and one of the leading causes of the same is - tobacco!

The facts below might shock you, but these are true and alarming:

1. As per Government’s data from Global Youth Tobacco Survey, 2019, children as young as 10 years old start consuming tobacco in India!
2. As per Government’s data from Global Adult Tobacco Survey, 2016, more than 26.6 crore adult Indians, which is close to 1/4th of the country’s adult population, is consuming tobacco in some form or the other!
3. In 2017, the economic burden of tobacco consumption was Rs.1.77 lakh crore which amounts to losing almost 1.04% of our GDP! Tobacco consumption pushes 15 million people below poverty line annually for several reasons including huge out of pocket expenses on treatment.
4. More than 50% of all cancers are directly or indirectly caused due to tobacco and that every year India loses 13.5 lakh people to tobacco!

But why do you need to know all this? Because we all need to join our voices together to urge our Hon’ble Prime Minister and Health Minister to strengthen India’s anti-tobacco law NOW!

In 2003, India enacted the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade, Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act or simply the COTPA. It was a milestone legislation which helped slow down the pace of the tobacco pandemic. And yet, at more than 26 crore users, India still has one of the highest tobacco consumers in the world! Therefore, we cannot rest and cannot stop improving our laws further to bring down tobacco consumption.

The COTPA 2003 is now 20 years old and it needs some urgent revisions to bring it up to pace with the changing times and realities. It has some loopholes and shortcomings which make it easy to exploit the law and hence there is a need to plug those.

The Government is aware of these shortcomings and since 2015, efforts have been underway to strengthen the Act. In this regard, the first such Draft Bill to amend COTPA was placed in public domain in 2015 and the latest Draft to amend COTPA came out in 2020, on which the Government invited comments from the general public. The government received overwhelming support from citizens from all walks of life like youths, parents, teachers, doctors and the larger public health community. 

The Bill has several progressive changes, like:

1. It abolishes Designated Smoking Areas at airports, restaurants, hotels and bars because such areas were not properly constructed leading to smoke escaping to other areas. This would expose non-smokers and other innocent citizens to second hand smoke and infringe on their right to health, as exposure to secondhand smoke can also cause cancer.
2. It increases the legal age of consumption of tobacco from 18 to 21 years. Research indicates that if initiation of tobacco products is delayed, chances of becoming addicted are much less. Aware of this, the tobacco industry makes every effort to lure young people and get them addicted for life. For the industry, each young consumer of tobacco is a replacement for those who die because of it. Besides, at 18, a person is too young to have legal access to a carcinogenic, addictive product that can never be used safely.
3. It makes the ban on promotion and advertisement of tobacco products more comprehensive. The industry tries to use all tactics, including celebrity endorsement, placement of tobacco products in films and content available on OTT platforms, promotion of tobacco during sports and youth events, placing catchy ads at tobacco shops, giving free tobacco products to youths etc. to get them addicted to tobacco. 
4. It prohibits sale of tobacco products outside of sealed packets. Selling single sticks of cigarettes and bidis, instead of the full packet, makes it easier and cheaper for young people to consume tobacco. They also do not get exposed to the health warnings published on the packs, defeating the purpose of such warnings. Selling in sealed packets will make such products unaffordable for the youths and prevent addiction. 
5. It increases fines and penalties for violating the law, which are currently only up to Rs.200.

The Bill is still pending before the government and hasn’t been brought to Parliament yet. 

But, if we all join our hands and raise our voices, then we can encourage and urge the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India and Health Minister to bring the COTPA Amendment Bill in Parliament in the upcoming Monsoon Session.

A timely initiative by the Government will be instrumental in saving the lives of millions of Indians. We must remember that as citizens of India, our fundamental right to health under Article 21 is guaranteed, which the Government is duty bound to protect. 

Sign this petition NOW to help create a healthy and #TobaccoFreeBharat.