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Ban manufacture, sale and import of SLT products

The use of SLT products, which includes pan masala, gutkha and khaini, is a serious public health issue in India and the region.

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Ravi Mehrotra, Director, NICPR and KH-SLT
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A report compiled by the National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research (NICPR) in collaboration with the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) has suggested a complete ban on manufacture, sale and import of smokeless tobacco (SLT) products as per a WHO framework. The report was released by the newly elected ICMR Director General Dr Balram Bhargava.

"This is the first ever compilation made in implementing smokeless tobacco control policies. The report will go a long way in providing guidance to parties on how to implement effective SLT control measures within their jurisdictions," said Bhargava. The use of SLT products, which includes pan masala, gutkha and khaini, is a serious public health issue in India and the region. Globally, there are nearly 36 crore SLT users, the statement said.

The report stated that SLT use among adults decreased in India from 25.9 per cent in 2010 to 21.4 per cent in 2016. It further stated that smokeless manufacturing contributed only about 1.37 per cent of the total employment generated in all tobacco manufacturing in India. Moreover, within SLT manufacturing, the employment contribution was highest (65%) from the manufacturing of pan masala and related products followed by chewing tobacco (22%).

"Smokeless tobacco constitutes more than 60% of all tobacco consumed in India. The epidemic is spreading to many countries and this pioneering report will help 140 countries worldwide which have the problem to implement appropriate control policies," said Dr Ravi Mehrotra, director, NICPR and KH-SLT.

To address the burden of smokeless tobacco, the government of India joined hands with the WHO-FCTC Secretariat and set up a global knowledge hub on Smokeless Tobacco (KH-SLT) at the ICMR-NICPR) in Noida.

The report also said that around 80 per cent of these live in South-East Asia and 66 per cent in India, and according to the latest Global Adult Tobacco Survey India Report nearly 20 crore Indians use SLTs.

A 2010 study estimated that more than 36,8000 deaths were attributable to smokeless tobacco use in the country. In 2007-2008, in India, of the 493.03 thousand tons of tobacco produced, 83.3 thousand tons and 9.11 thousand tons were used in making chewing tobacco and snuff products, respectively. Thus, 18.74 per cent of tobacco produced was destined for 7 manufacturing SLT products.

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