August 17, 2007
Mumbai
News- Tobacco Act may trip on skulls
The amendment to dilute the tobacco control law has been dealt a severe blow with the findings of a recent study by the Healis-Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health. The skull and bones symbol, an integral part of tobacco advertising, was termed to hurt religious sentiments by the central government and certain amendments in the Tobacco Act were proposed.
However, a house-to-house survey in 16 different localities has noted that the symbol does not hurt religious sensibilities. The survey was conducted by the Healis-Sekhsaria Institute located in CBD Belapur, Navi Mumbai. Cabinet minister, Pranab Mukharjee, had recently said that the skull and bones symbol should not be used on tobacco product packages because it hurt religious sensibilities, even though such a symbol is required under the Cigerette and Other Tobacco Products Act passed by the Parliament in 2003.
The rules governing the display of skull and bones and pictorial warnings were notified on July 5, 2006. Because of this assertion, it was proposed that the Act should be amended by the Parliament. However, the study has shown that the two largest religions in India would not be hurt with the sign of the skull and crossbones if and when put on tobacco products. When asked the question, If you see this sign (the bone and skull symbol), placed on a tobacco products to indicate the risk associated with that products use, would it affect your religious sensibilities, 89% respondents replied no, with 9% undecided.
The survey was designed to have similar representation of the two largest religious groups in India, and the responses were virtually identical in the two religious communities. In response to another question, If you see this sign on a product, what does it tell you?, close to 87% responded said that it showed the product is dangerous to use, while 12% did not understand the symbol. Similar questions on the use of a picture of a dead body on tobacco product elicited the response no on religious sensibilities from 68% and not sure from 13% of respondents.
In a separate study conducted among cancer patients attending the city-based Tata Memorial Hospital, all patients replied that if the symbol skull and crossbones was there on the tobacco products, they would have understood the risk to health associated with the use of the products much better. Reading a mere warning that this product is injurious to health they thought, its use might cause an ulcer or boil at the most, but in no way a life threatening disease.
The rules for the pictorial package warning portion of the the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003, along with pictures like a cancer patient and a dead body were notified on July 5, 2006 and were to come into effect on February 1, 2007. Because of numerous representations from the tobacco industry, the date was extended to June 1, 2007. However, further pressure from the industry persuaded Cabinet members to send the law to Parliament for an amendment to remove the skull and bones, on the basis that it hurt religious sentiments, which the survey did not find.
No comments:
Post a Comment