Smoking in India
There has been a downwards trend in current smoking prevalence in the general population in India. Smoking prevalence was 19% in 2000 and declined to 11.5% in 2015, with a further drop to 8.5% projected by 2025. For men the prevalence decreased from 32% in 2000 to 21% in 2015, with a further decrease to 16% projected by 2025. For women a much lower prevalence of 6% in 2000 dropped to just under 2% in 2015, and is projected to decrease further to less than 1% by 2025. The WHO published prevalence trend estimates in tobacco smoking, as shown here, in their 2018 2nd edition report, which show slightly different smoking prevalence to the WHO country profiles. Data for the estimates are not age standardised, and were obtained from WHO databases. The trend lines are projections, not predictions, of future attainment. A projection indicates a likely endpoint if the country maintains its tobacco control efforts at the same level that it has implemented them to date. Therefore the impact of recent interventions could alter the expected endpoint shown in the projection. While the methods of estimation used in the first and second editions of the WHO report are the same, the volume of data available for the second edition is larger i.e. 200 more national surveys. The results presented are therefore more robust.
Read articles from India
February 29, 2024 by bnnbreaking.com
India Bans E-Cigarettes: Mothers Against Vaping Applauds, Urges Global Action
India's PECA 2019 legislation bans e-cigarettes comprehensively, addressing addiction and health risks, setting a standard for global action. 'Mothers Against Vaping' supports the ban, emphasizing public health and demand reduction. The law aims to eliminate e-cigarettes from the supply chain to protect citizens. While some advocate for vaping in smoking cessation, the group highlights risks to youth and calls for a balanced approach. India's ban exemplifies prioritizing public health over immediate gains, offering a model for other nations.
February 22, 2024 by business-standard.com
Karnataka govt passes Bill to set age limit for sale of cigarettes to 21
The Karnataka government recently passed the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Bill, 2024, increasing the age limit for purchasing cigarettes from 18 to 21 years. The bill also prohibits the sale of cigarettes to those under 21 and restricts sales near schools. Health Minister Dinesh Gundurao emphasized the new regulations, mentioning fines for violations. Furthermore, hookah bars were banned in all establishments, with penalties of imprisonment and substantial fines for unauthorized operations.
January 19, 2024 by gfn.tv
DOES INDIA HAVE A VAPE MISINFORMATION PROBLEM? | Featuring Samrat Chowdhery
A vaping literacy problem may lie at the heart of India's hardline approach to vaping. Could improved tobacco harm reduction education amongst medical professionals and policy makers help shift India away from the WHO's prohibitionist anti-vaping stance? Samrat Chowdhery joins us to discuss this and more!
January 05, 2024 by filtermag.org
India Doubles Down on Vape Ban With Research and Media Censorship
Over five million Indians have died of smoking-related causes since their government banned the sale of vapes and heated tobacco products in late 2019. Instead of being swayed into offering low-risk, effective alternatives to millions of people who smoke, the government has intensified its war on them. Cheered on by the World Health Organization and allied groups, India’s government has now obstructed research on tobacco harm reduction (THR) products and gagged the media from discussing adoption of THR strategies.
December 05, 2023 by tribune.com.pk
E-cigarettes : New addiction of choice for youth
PESHAWAR: Vaping is the new cool, regardless of how injurious it might be to health, and teenagers and adults alike, in Peshawar, are hooked to the flavoured nicotine electronic devices. Traditionally referred to as e-cigarettes but now known by various names such as disposables, vapes, and tank systems, electronic nicotine delivery system have become a common sight in Khyber Pakthunkhwa’s capital; so much so that nearly every major shopping centre in the city has a dedicated vape store - much to the dismay of concerned parents.
November 15, 2023 by indiatimes.com
Teachers against vaping: E-cigarettes to impact the educational environment and impede cognitive development of students
NEW DELHI: Teachers from leading schools across India on Children’s Day wrote to the ministry of education to raise awareness about the adverse effects of electronic cigarettes in all forms and educate teachers, parents and children about the recent clarifications in law which ban manufacture, sale and even possession of these devices. The teachers expressed their concern over tobacco companies disseminating misleading information that portrays new-age e-cigarettes as either harmless or less harmful in comparison to smoking traditional cigarettes.
October 17, 2023 by indiatoday.in
Can a low-nicotine tobacco plant benefit smokers?
For smokers trying to quit but with little success, news that genetic science may have come up with a tobacco plant with 60-70 per cent less nicotine is nothing short of a dream come true. [...] the institute discovered a biosynthetic pathway for nicotine in the root of the tobacco plant, which is what synthesises nicotine and transports it to the leaves used in cigarettes. By regulating this pathway or completely blocking it, the amount of nicotine being transported to the leaves can be altered.
August 29, 2023 by sundayguardianlive.com
‘India needs to rethink its tobacco laws’
A seasoned lawmaker has said India needs to seriously take a relook at its tobacco laws, and those relating to e-cigarettes and heated tobacco because the health ministry’s ban on e-cigarettes is a missed public health opportunity. MV Rajeev Gowda, vice-chairperson, State Institute for Transformation of Karnataka and former Rajya Sabha member strongly feels e-cigarettes could have been an option to help smokers wean themselves off tobacco in India, the world’s second largest consumer of tobacco.
August 03, 2023 by indianexpress.com
India tops ‘no tobacco’ labelling, says WHO. But what about second-hand smoking?
Hundreds of enforcement drives, putting up ‘No Smoking’ signs, and communication about the effects of smoking as well as second-hand smoke resulted in a 27 per cent reduction in smoking in public places in Bengaluru. Earlier this year, the city received international recognition for its efforts, said a case study in the recently released report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on the implementation of tobacco control measures.
July 28, 2023 by thehindu.com
Tobacco is bad for health, but cultivators won’t shun the crop
Tobacco consumption - in the form of smoking or chewing - has been linked with multiple serious health issues. But cultivation of tobacco also happens to be the source of livelihood for thousands of farmers, particularly in Mysuru and parts of adjoining Hassan district.
Over the last seven years, the area under tobacco cultivation in Mysuru is believed to have come down from 80,000 hectares to around 65,000 hectares with farmers making a switch to other alternative crops