Dhruvi Modi

On account of World No Tobacco Day, traders across the state of Tamil Nadu have been urged not to sell any tobacco products on May 31.  State president of the Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangangalin, T. Vellaiyan was quoted on The Hindu, “We have requested shops not to sell tobacco products for a day. We have distributed pamphlets to shops, and are also organizing awareness events such as human chain and street play on the occasion.”

Vendor licensing

The government, taking advantage of this opportunity, has decided to introduce vendor licensing for tobacco products. In a month, this enforcement will take place. Under this, all traders of tobacco products will be authorized to sell their products only if they have obtained the license to do so. If a vendor violates the rules laid down by the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003, their license will be revoked.

As per a report, K. Kolandaswamy, the director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, said that as of now, vendors who violate rules pay the fine and go back to selling tobacco products. However, once the tobacco licensing is implemented, their license can be revoked, which will act as major deterrent and enforcement will be easier and better.

The report also states that in the period from April 2018 to March 2019, 7,240 persons have been fined for violating Section 4 of the Act, which prohibits smoking in public places. The total amount of money collected as fines for this violation was Rs. 48,28,700.

While this move is a major setback for this industry, V. Surendran, the head of Resource Centre for Tobacco, Cancer Institute said, “The main aim is to be tobacco free, and bringing vendor licensing is definitely a step ahead.”

Joint Director, Public Health, and State Tobacco Control Officer, A. Somasundaram said that with the implementation of licensing, access to cigarettes for minors will also be reduced.

PMK leader demands action against ITC

PMK founder S. Ramadoss has approached the government to take action against ITC, for putting up advertisements which were directly linked to cigarettes and were targeted at children. A statement issued for World No Tobacco Day, Dr. Ramadoss said the theme this year was “Tobacco and Lung Health”.