India considers raising legal age to 25

India’s national government is considering raising the legal age for tobacco use from18 to 25, according to a story in the latest issue of the BBM Bommidala Group newsletter.

The Minister of Health, Harsh Vardhan, constituted a committee last month to suggest changes to the country’s Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act 2003, and the committee’s report is due by the end of this month.

Other measures believed to be under consideration are a hike in the penalties for smoking in public places where such activity is banned, eliminating branding from cigarette packs, increasing the size of health warnings and banning tobacco advertisements at point of sale.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court of India has issued a notice to the Indian government and all states and union territories calling for a complete ban on cigarettes and bidis.

Following the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation, a bench including the Chief Justice of India, R.M. Lodha, directed the government to respond to the petition that indicated the country was spending about Rs300 billion annually on treating tobacco diseases in both the public and private health sectors.

The tobacco-related health costs accounted for 25 per cent of total public spending on health and much more than the revenue earned from tobacco.