Tumours, ulcers to occupy most space on cigarette packs soon

Pictures of blackish blue tumours bubbling with pus, massive ulcers protruding from the mouth or throat will soon occupy most space on the covers of cigarette packets. Union health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has announced that stronger pictorial warnings will be carried on cigarette, gutkha and tobacco packets across India to push smokers to kick the habit.

On Wednesday, Dr Harsh Vardhan, while issuing the notification, said, "Tobacco means only death. I've seen the effects of tobacco on health closely as an ENT surgeon."

The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act 2008 was amended through a gazetted notification of the union health ministry on October 15, which says that the health warning shall cover at least 85 per cent of the principal display area of a packet of tobacco, of which 60 per cent will be pictures and 25 per cent with be the textual health warning on the front and back of the packs. The new warning pictures will be rolled out from April 1, 2015. The health warnings will be in English, Hindi and other regional languages.

With this, India joins Thailand as the country with the highest elements of warnings against tobacco use on cigarette packs. Plus, India will also rank first among 198 countries to have the largest portion of a cigarette pack covered with a graphic pictorial warning. Just the other day, India was ranked 136th in the 'The Cigarette Package Health Warnings: International Status Report 2014', which was released on Tuesday.

Till 2008, merely a textual warning saying 'Cigarette smoking is harmful,' was printed on the packets. Three years ago, a picture showing black blotches in the lungs on the human chest was introduced on cigarette packets. Doctors, however, were not satisfied with the watered down warnings. "The previous warnings never incited any fear in consumers. Three months back, an expert committee was instituted to revise the pictorial warnings. The committee submitted its recommendations two weeks ago, based on which the revised warnings have been designed," said Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, head, department of head and neck cancer at Tata Memorial Hospital in Parel.

Doctors believe that the increased intensity of shock value in the pictures and more space dedicated to creating awareness will lead to a drop in smokers and tobacco or gutkha chewers in India.

Timely saviour?
In India where two of every three patients who suffer from lung cancer are smokers. Close to two lakh men and women fall prey to lung cancer in India, of which 66 per cent are smokers. According to health ministry estimates, in India, every year, 10 lakh people who consume tobacco in any form are afflicted by cancer and die.