Does the idea of selling entire pack of cigarette will reduce it's consumption in youths?

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We have the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare. In its latest report about cancer management prevention and diagnosis recommended that the government institutes ban on the sale of single sticks of cigarettes. What do we understand by this? When you look at these cigarette packs, what does it come in? It usually comes in a pack and this particular pack usually will have about 10 cigarettes or 20 cigarette. So the parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare goes on to say that as of now if you go to the shops, they will give you individual cigarettes. But then in the near future if this proposal is accepted, and if the government so decides to come up with a notification, this individual cigarette will not be given but instead the whole pack will have to be bought by a person who is buying the cigarette. So basically what they're trying to say is that in the shops single cigarettes should not be sold, it should be made compulsory that the entire pack of cigarettes should be sold.

Why has this recommendation been given?

That is because if a person is buying a single cigarette in this case, all that he requires is about 10 rupees, 15 rupees, 20 rupees so on and so forth, he will be easily able to give this particular amount to the shop person and ultimately buy the cigarette as well. But if it is a larger pack, it means it may cost about 100 rupees or 200 rupees. So, this person will not be having an economic advantage to buy the entire pack and as a result, he may not buy the cigarette itself is the major recommendation, if it's a single cigarette, he would be able to buy it, but if it is an entire packet, because it will cost more, this person may not be able to afford it and ultimately over a period of time, this person can also quit smoking as well is the major recommendation.

Added to it, we also have to increase the taxes as well. So, once taxes are increased on all the tobacco products, this money that is collected by the government should also be utilised for cancer prevention and awareness. We should not be selling a single cigarette if we are doing so, there can be more harm to the people. So sell the entire pack if it is the entire pack they may not buy is the first argument and at the same time, if it is a single pack, most of the youngsters will also look for experimentation as well, they will also be enticed by all those heroes who would be smoking in movies, they would be fascinated by the hero smoking the cigarettes as well celebrities smoking, so they would want to experiment, but if it is an entire pack, during the youth days, when they are studying, they would not be able to afford it and at the same time, if an entire packet is bought, they would have to keep it in their pocket, this can also be seen as well, and they will also be questioned. So if it is a single cigarette, they would immediately be able to experiment it they would be able to smoke as well. But if it is a larger pack, they will kind of avoid it is another recommendation.

We have couple of areas where we have smoking zones in hotels, airports, restaurants, so on and so forth. Such areas should also be prevented. So if we look into the data, the report cites the national health policies endeavour for a relative reduction in current tobacco use by 30% by 2025 says it is imperative that the government take effective steps to obtain the sale of tobacco products. So basically, they want to go about preventing it so that people do not die of cancer.

Additionally, the committee also sought a ban on Gutka and pan masala alongside a prohibition on the direct and indirect advertisement. This is based on the observation that in India, more than 80% of tobacco consumption is in the form of chewing tobacco, aggressively marketed as a mouth freshener. Further, we also have a law called as COTA which stands for Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Acts of 2003. According to this legislation, the tobacco products need to be sold with a graphic health warning. So if you see a cigarette pack, you will also have those images as well you would also feel scared as well. But if a person is being sold a single cigarette, glue cigarettes, they will not be complying with this particular rule because if you go to a shop, he'll just pick up the cigarette and give it to you. So you don't see that image. But if you buy an entire pack, some people will also get scared as well. Looking at that image, that is also not happening if a single cigarette is sold.

We have to regulate it, we have to stop giving single cigarettes and we have to give or sell it as a whole and at the same time imposed taxes as well. So that people do not go about buying this particular product so that we can prevent cancer in the near future.