Tobacco products to carry new health warnings soon | Fusion - WeRIndia

Usage of tobacco products leads to several health issues. The government made displaying health warnings mandatory on cigarette packs and packs of other tobacco products.

Yet, its usage has been increasing for the past few years. Despite the statutory warning issued on the packs, people consume them due to their addiction.

Now, the government decided to add a few more warning messages on cigarette packets and other products. For this purpose, it amended Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Rules, 2008.

The Union Health Ministry said that the government made it mandatory to display new health warnings on the packs of tobacco products from December 1.

As per the statement by the Union Health Ministry, all cigarette packets and other tobacco products should display new warnings and images from the above-specified date.

Two sets of warning messages and images will be displayed on both sides of packs of tobacco products. The two warning messages that will be displayed on these packs are as follows: ‘Tobacco causes painful death’ and ‘Tobacco users die young’. These two messages will be displayed each on one side of the pack.

Besides, the packs will have a toll-free helpline number to help smokers quit the habit, displaying the message – Quit Today Call Today, followed by the number. It should be displayed in white font on a black background as per the government order.

Tobacco products cause more than 1.3 million deaths each year. Hence, the government wants to create awareness of tobacco products among smokers. It also wants to help them quit the habit. In this regard, it provides them access to counseling services and other professional help.

Many health experts welcomed the decision of the government. They said that the new health warnings would be more impactful. However, they requested strict enforcement for better results.

Image from Pxhere (Free for commercial use / CC0 Public Domain)

Image Reference: https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1238594