BAN ON SINGLE CIGARETTES

3. Why government focuses on single-stick cigarettes?

• Single sticks are more economical to acquire than a full pack of cigarettes. This may particularly appeal to adolescents and youth who may have limited money in hand.
• Single sticks are also preferred by people who may want to take them up for experimentation and have not started smoking regularly.
• A ban on single-stick sales would compel a potential consumer to buy the entire pack which may not be particularly economical, thus curbing potential experimentation and scope of regular intake.
• The World Health Organisation (WHO) has observed that all forms of tobacco are harmful, and there is no safe tobacco exposure level.
• It also stated that smoking cigarettes are the most common tobacco use worldwide. 

4. Tobacco shares Remain High Despite news of Impending ban

• According to a study, in India about 75 percent of all cigarettes are sold as single sticks. The logic behind this is that cigarettes are more affordable when they are sold loose than when sold only in packets.
• However, news of an impending ban on the sale of loose cigarettes failed to dear investors. ITC Limited, the leading cigarette maker in India, hardly saw any impact on the share pupils.

5. The economic burden on the Government

• According to the 2021 report prepared by the International Commission to Reignite the Fight against Smoking, India has the second highest number of 16-64 years old smokers in the world.
• According to the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), in 2020 tobacco-related cancers accounted for 27 percent of the country's cancer burden.
• Such figures create an enormous economic burden for the government.
• The Economic cost of Diseases and Deaths Attributes to Tobacco use in India study by the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that the economic cost of tobacco was about 1 percent of the total GDP in 2017-18.
• The study found that India spends 5.3 percent of its private and public health resources on treating tobacco-related diseases each year.

6. Campaigns by Government to discourage Tobacco Consumption

• On its part, the government has tried several campaigns, and initiatives to discourage tobacco consumption.
• The government made it mandatory for manufacturers to use large, graphic images of tobacco-related diseases on tobacco products, including cigarettes.
• Earlier this year, the Union Health Ministry also that announced tobacco products manufactured, imported, or packaged on or after 1 December 2022 will now have to display an image with a warning written on its pack that states "Tobacco causes painful death".
• In 2004, public smoking was made a punishable offense. Even the ban on the sale of loose cigarettes is not something new. States including Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Karnataka have banned loose cigarettes.
• But the ban has proved to be ineffective in the long-term, with the sale of loose cigarettes continuing at paan and tea shops across the country.